Turkish expatriates living in 73 countries began casting their votes on Saturday in the presidential runoff election, scheduled to take place in Turkey on May 28, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The presidential election, held on May 14, saw incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vying for re-election against his main rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP). Official results put Erdoğan at 49.52 percent of the vote, narrowly missing the mark, while Kılıçdaroğlu received 44.88 percent. With neither candidate securing the required 50 percent plus one additional vote in the first round, election officials announced that a runoff would be held on May 28.
Voting for overseas Turks started on Saturday and will continue until May 24 at ballot boxes located in Turkish foreign missions and at customs gates until May 28. According to Anadolu, approximately 3.5 million Turkish nationals are registered to vote overseas.
Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its electoral alliance secured a majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 321 out of 600 seats.