President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is claiming victory in the Turkish election
With counting ongoing, official results have him on around 52% of the vote
His secular rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, is due to speak soon
Erdogan’s supporters are celebrating, and some foreign leaders have sent congratulations
No candidate managed to secure 50% of votes in the first round, with Erdogan on 49.52% and Kilicdaroglu on 45%.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu has just taken the stage at opposition headquarters in Ankara.
Latest unofficial results suggest he’s four points behind Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential run-off with most votes counted.
Erdogan’s challenger has launched a fiery speech – condemning President Erdogan’s authoritarian regime and what he called an unfair election.
“You should know that we will stand against those difficulties awaiting us,” he says.
What he didn’t do was admit defeat – even if the results are all heading in that direction.
He thanked the 25 million Turks who voted for him, to loud cheers in the auditorium.
Details later…
BBC