Erdoğan secures strong victory in Turkey's earthquake-hit regions

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In the region that suffered a devastating double earthquake in February, the voter turnout surpassed 80% in Sunday's parliamentary and presidential polls.

Hatay, the province most severely impacted by the earthquakes, saw a slight decline of approximately 6% in voter turnout compared to the 2018 general elections, with a final turnout of 83.16%. Out of 1,062,000 eligible voters, about 180,000 did not cast votes.

Regarding the presidential election, the incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emerged as the front-runner in 8 out of the 11 provinces, while his main rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu led in 3 provinces.

Presidential election results in the 11 provinces:

• Adana: Kılıçdaroğlu 50.89%, Erdoğan 43.92%

• Adıyaman: Kılıçdaroğlu 31.24%, Erdoğan 66.2%

• Antep: Kılıçdaroğlu 34.66%, Erdoğan 59.75%

• Diyarbakır: Kılıçdaroğlu 71.96%, Erdoğan 26.48%

• Elazığ: Kılıçdaroğlu 28.21%, Erdoğan 67.18%

• Hatay: Kılıçdaroğlu 48.12%, Erdoğan 47.98%

• Maraş: Kılıçdaroğlu 22.2%, Erdoğan 71.88%

• Kilis: Kılıçdaroğlu 29.92%, Erdoğan 65.58%

• Malatya: Kılıçdaroğlu 27.02%, Erdoğan 69.39%

• Osmaniye: Kılıçdaroğlu 30.74%, Erdoğan 62.31%

• Urfa: Kılıçdaroğlu 36.07%, Erdoğan 61.99%

Parliamentary elections

The ruling People's Alliance surpassed the main opposition Nation's Alliance in all provinces.

Adana:

• People's Alliance: 44.16%

• Nation's Alliance: 39.78%

Hatay:

• People's Alliance: 48.47%

• Nation's Alliance: 36.79%

Osmaniye:

• People's Alliance: 64.45%

• Nation's Alliance: 29.97%

Kilis:

• People's Alliance: 69.60%

• Nation's Alliance: 25.86%

Antep:

• People's Alliance: 59.40%

• Nation's Alliance: 25.74%

Malatya:

• People's Alliance: 68.95%

• Nation's Alliance: 25.42%

Maraş:

• People's Alliance: 71.26%

• Nation's Alliance: 23.20%

Adıyaman:

• People's Alliance: 62.45%

• Nation's Alliance: 18.50%

Urfa:

• People's Alliance: 55.75%

• Nation's Alliance: 12.04%

Diyarbakır:

• People's Alliance: 25.58%

• Labor and Freedom Alliance: 62.39%

The devastating earthquakes, which occurred on February 6th, with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6, wreaked havoc across the southern province of Maraş and affected 11 other provinces in southern and southeastern Turkey, as well as parts of northern Syria.

The government's official figures indicate a staggering death toll of over 50,000 people, with more than 227,000 buildings either destroyed or severely damaged in the affected areas.

The United Nations' latest report highlights the dire situation in these earthquake-affected regions, with ongoing challenges exacerbating the crisis. The area continues to face difficulties caused by heavy rainfall and persistent aftershocks, hampering relief efforts.

As a consequence, approximately 1.6 million individuals remain in temporary shelters or makeshift tents, facing limited access to essential services and basic living conditions. Moreover, the disaster has forced three million people to flee their homes, seeking safety from the devastating aftermath of the earthquakes. (VC/VK)