ANKARA, May 16. /TASS/. Democracy was on full display in the first round of voting in Turkey’s presidential election on May 14 as the country saw a record high voter turnout of up to 90%, Turkey’s incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
"I thank all our citizens for taking part in the election, which was held in democratic conditions and with a record-breaking voter turnout - up to 90%," he said in an interview with CNN Turk, adding that he has already begun preparations for the runoff election on May 28.
He also said that he planned to visit the regions hit by February’s devastating earthquakes on Saturday or Sunday. "I don’t plan to hold any rallies," he added.
He expressed confidence that he would manage to secure more votes in the runoff election than he did in the first round of voting, when he garnered 49.51% of the vote. But this was not enough to win as it was less than 50% plus one vote. To win the runoff election, a candidate will need to score a simple majority of votes. Erdogan will face opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the second round.
He promised to change his campaign strategy ahead of the runoff polls, focusing on large cities, including Istanbul and Ankara which have opposition mayors and where Erdogan’s rival won more votes in the first round than Erdogan.