The metropolis of Istanbul will also play a decisive role in the outcome of the second round of the presidential elections for Turkey's 13th president, which is held today in the country, as 11.5 million out of a total of about 60 million people will be held in the country. Voters are in Istanbul. 850,<> people will vote for the first time in this election.

30,192 of the country's 000,14 polling stations are located in Istanbul, including the border checkpoints at the country's two largest airports and port, which are being voted on today. In the first round on May 90, Istanbul recorded a 53.86 percent turnout (vs. 7.<> percent nationally), which is considered a record. A very high turnout is also expected today.

"So far, there has been no case in world history of elections with a turnout reaching 90 percent. This is the first time that presidential elections have been held in the second round. In this way, Turkey declared its struggle for democracy, which will be realized today," Erdogan said after voting at the Saffet Cebi school in Istanbul. At the same time, he urged his companions and sympathizers not to relax because of the result of the first round (then about 27m euros voted for Erdogan). people, and for Kilicdaroglu about 24 million. and 2.8 million. for the third candidate, Sinan Ogan, who dropped out.

Erdogan votes in runoff and focuses on high voter turnout

The election day passes calmly and without incidents both throughout the country and in the metropolis of Istanbul, said the chairman of the Supreme Election Commission Ahmet Jener. He stressed that voters are very interested in today's elections. Voting in Istanbul began at 8 a.m. and will end at 00 p.m. Istanbul's streets, which are usually deserted on Sundays, are now bustling with people going to polling stations in residential neighborhoods. "Although the weather is rainy today, it did not prevent us from going to vote. The rain is good and we hope that a better future awaits us," said Birgul Zaman, a pharmacist we spoke to in front of Section 17 at the Hassan Shadoglu School in the Idealtepe district on Istanbul's Asian coast.

"There were a lot of people in front of the school who had come 8 hours ago, waiting for the polling stations to open," said an election committee official at the school, who spoke on condition of anonymity. This school houses a total of 10 polling stations with about 400 voters each. By 11 a.m., several thousand people had voted. At noon and early afternoon, even more are expected. On the ballot are the names and photos of only the two candidates - Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and the voter chooses one, which is why the vote is like a referendum and happens quickly. Unlike the previous round, when voting for parties and took longer.

"The voting process happens very quickly, in less than a minute. We voted for one candidate. That is why we did not have to wait, there are no queues as on May 14," said Melissa and Fehmi Cholacoglu, who had come to vote with their young son. Many elderly people, some supported by their loved ones, have also come to vote.

The mayor of Istanbul's large municipality, Ekrem Imamoglu, also voted in Istanbul with great interest from dozens of people who were waiting for him from outside. In the statement he made after his vote, Imamoglu stressed the security of the vote of each voter. "The question today is for every single vote to reach the addressee for whom it has been submitted. Not a single vote should be lost. Because the vote is the honor of a nation," he said.

Kilicdaroglu votes in second round of Turkey's presidential election

In the afternoon, the influx to the sections is expected to intensify. In the first round on May 14, about 1 million people will be able to pay for the construction of a new gas pipeline. Voters in Istanbul did not vote. Whether they will appear on this tour will become clear in 17 hours. Election Day will end at 17 p.m. After that, the counting of ballots submitted in the country and at border checkpoints, as well as those from abroad, which are stored in Ankara, will begin.

Sources close to the government said Erdogan was scheduled to follow the election at his home in Istanbul. So far, there is no information on whether he will go to Ankara for a meeting with the electorate, as he traditionally did in previous elections to celebrate the results.

The first results are expected to begin shortly after 17 p.m. from the Supreme Election Commission. It is assumed that the results of the historic vote for the 13th president of Turkey will be known not very long after the end of election day.

Runoff

Turkey

Presidential elections

Istanbul