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Turkey elections 2023: no overall majority in tense finale

Turkey elections 2023: no overall majority in tense final hours
MENA
15 min read
Turkey's historic presidential election looks set for a runoff, as the gap between president Erdogan and his challenger Kilicdaroglu continues to narrow.
Polling stations opened at 8:00am local time for the Turkish elections [Burak Kara/Getty]

The New Arab's live coverage of the Turkish election results so far on Sunday has now ended. Join us in the morning where we'll be picking up where we left off. You can also keep up to date with the election and other stories from the Middle East, North Africa and beyond on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.

Turks voted on Sunday in one of the most important elections in modern Turkey's 100-year history, which could either unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or usher in a third decade of his rule.

Polls have closed in a vote which will decide not only who leads Turkey, a NATO-member country of 85 million, but also how it is governed, where its economy is headed amid a deep cost of living crisis, and the shape of its foreign policy, which has taken unpredictable turns.

While President Erdogan remains ahead in the exit polls, the vote remains tight heading into the final count, with an indicative result expected during the night. 

Many analysts are predicting a re-run - which would be triggered if no candidate breaches the threshold of 50%. 

Voters will also elect a new parliament, likely a tight race between the People's Alliance comprising Erdogan's conservative Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the nationalist MHP and others, and Kilicdaroglu's Nation Alliance formed of six opposition parties, including his secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), established by Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Polls opened at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and closed at 17:00 (14:00 GMT). 

By late on Sunday there could be a good indication of whether there will be a runoff vote for the presidency.