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International observers say Erdogan enjoyed ‘unjustified advantage’ during campaign

The international mission to observe the second round of the presidential election in Turkey included 232 observers from 31 countries

VIENNA, May 29. /TASS/. Candidates in the presidential elections in Turkey were able to conduct their campaigns freely, but the incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, enjoyed an "unjustified advantage," according to a statement by international observers released by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Monday.

The international mission to observe the second round of the presidential election in Turkey included 232 observers from 31 countries, made up of 181 experts deployed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, 31 from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and 20 from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

"Concerns raised during the first round over the lack of a level playing field and the unfairness of the campaign remained unaddressed, with the incumbent president continuing to benefit from an unjustified advantage," said Farah Karimi, the head of the OSCE PA delegation.

Frank Schwabe, the head of the PACE delegation, said "this second round also took place in an environment that in many ways does not provide the conditions for holding democratic elections." Still, he said the runoff "has resulted in a clear winner."

The observers said in the statement that media bias and ongoing restrictions to freedom of expression created an unlevel playing field. Supporters of some opposition parties continued to face intimidation and harassment, according to the statement.

"Inflammatory and discriminatory language was used on both sides," the statement said.

Observers said the second round was well run and voters had a real choice between political alternatives. Observers also noted a high turnout.

Turkey has just held presidential elections, and the country's Supreme Election Council declared Erdogan as the winner, based on preliminary results. When 99.43% of the ballots were processed, he received 52.14% of the vote, while the opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu got 47.86%.

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