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Turkey’s Erdogan announces his victory at presidential polls ahead of official results

Аfter counting 95% of ballots that President Erdogan was scoring 53% of the vote, Anadolu Agency reported

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

© EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN

ANKARA, June 24. /TASS/. Turkey’s incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his victory at Sunday’s presidential election before the ballot counting is over.

"According to non-official results, our people have entrusted me to be the country’s president and have given parliamentary majority to the People’s Alliance," he said in a televised address to the nation.

Anadolu Agency said earlier citing first results from the Turkish Supreme Election Board (YSK) after counting 95% of ballots that President Erdogan was scoring 53% of the vote and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) was winning 45.7% of votes.

Turkey held its first-ever concurrent presidential and parliamentary polls on Sunday. The Supreme Election Board promised to announce the voting results by the end of the day.

Six candidates, including Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are taking part in the presidential race. Erdogan’s main challenger is Muharrem Ince of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). Other presidential candidates are Meral Aksener of the IYI Party (translated into English as the Good Party), Temel Karamollaoglu of the Felicity Party, Dogu Perincek of the Patriotic party and Selahattin Demirtas of the pro-minority Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

The Supreme Election Board has cleared nine parties to run in the parliamentary polls, including the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Erdogan and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which form the ruling alliance. The main opposition alliance includes Republican People's Party (CHP), the Islamist Felicity Party and the newly formed nationalist IYI Party. The parties that run independently are the pan-Islamism Free Cause Party, left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party and the Free Cause Party.

The Independent Turkey Party, which is also eligible for the vote, decided to boycott the polls.

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