Vote counting continues in the morning: What did leaders say for the second tour?
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The final results have not been announced in the May 14 dual elections of Turkey by the Supreme Election Council (YSK) with both Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu apparently having failed to reach the 50 percent threshold to win the presidential election in the first round.
The Supreme Election Council (YSK) announced around 03:00 am that 91.93% of the votes have been counted, and Erdoğan got 49.49 percent of the votes while Kılıçdaroğlu got 44.79 percent and Sinan Oğan received 5,29 percent of the votes.
Muharrem İnce, who withdrew from the presidential race in the last week while the votes were already being cast abroad, and whose name remained on the ballot paper on May 14, received 0,43 percent of the votes.
The opposition insisted throughout the evening and the night, that the ruling alliance obstructed vote counting mainly by making objections to the results in the ballot boxes where the opposition was ahead.
"Balcony speech" from Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed his supporters who gathered in front of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Headquarters at around 03:00 am.
He said, "The final results have not become clear yet but we are by far ahead.
We are waiting for the national will to become manifest.
Our country has completed yet another democracy feast with the May 14 elections.
Beyond the figures that will come up, the winner is unarguably our country and our nation
There is no parallel in the world, we have experienced one of the elections with the highest participation rate in our history.
We have always respected the decision of the national will all through our political life. We do in this election also and we will in the elections to come.
The parliamentary elections have resulted with the People's Alliance having the majority even with the data at hand.
We believe that we will complete in this tour with a rate over 50 percent.
But if our nation made the choice that the election will continue in a second tour, that is again more than welcome for us."
Kılıçdaroğlu: The election is not won on the balcony
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the Republican People's Party (CHP) leader and the joint presidential candidate of the Nation Alliance made a short speech at the CHP Headquarters together with the leaders of the parties that make up the Nation Alliance.
He thanked all voters who went to the polls and cast their votes and said that they were very happy for the high rate of participation by women and the youth, the participation rate to nearly 90 percent, and the process to be led in a democratic and mature manner.
Kılıçdaroğlu also pointed at the second tour in presidential elections and said, "Erdoğan was not able to get the result he expected despite all his slanders and insults," he said.
"Nobody should opt for a fast talk. The election is not won on the balcony. The data is still flowing.
"If our nation says the second tour, it is more than welcome for us.
"The first results have shown that Erdoğan was not able to win a vote of confidence from the people.
Speaking to the cameras together with the leaders of the political parties making up the Nation Alliance said, "We will win, and win for sure in the second tour. Everybody will see this."
Oğan: "We will decide for the best benefit of our nation"
Sinan Oğan, the presidential candidate of the ATA alliance who received 5,29 percent of the votes for the presidency also made an announcement last night.
Oğan stated that they will be holding a meeting with the presidents of the parties in the ATA Alliance, "We will never allow Turkey to fall into a crisis," he said.
Stating that there will be the second tour of the election Oğan thanked everyone who voted for them.
"We run an election campaign in difficulty and today we reached a point where we will be having a direct effect on the election results in Turkey. I see this as a success on our side. In fact, we were expecting even a higher vote.
However, the conditions in the elections in Turkey are well known. I will be sharing my evaluations related to this later on.
"Our nation should rest assured"
Oğan told the journalists that they will be holding a meeting within a few days' time with the presidents of the ATA Alliance.
Oğan also said that he will be meeting with the representatives of those circles who signed for their candidacy and also opinion leaders and come up with a decision thereafter.
"Our nation should rest assured," Oğan said and added that they will never allow Turkey to fall into a crisis.
CHP visited YSK middle of the night
A high-profile CHP delegation visited the YSK late last night and met Mehmet Hadimi Yakupoğlu, the CHP representative in YSK, and YSK Chairperson Ahmet Yener.
Muharrem Erkek, CHP Vice President responsible for Legal and Election Affairs talked to the journalists after the meeting and reassured the citizens that they were monitoring the counting and recording of all votes cast in the country and abroad.
The delegation then visited the Ankara Chamber of Commerce where the votes cast by citizens abroad are being counted.
"We are on duty as CHP and as the Nation Alliance until the final election results are obtained," Erken said here.
Kaftancıoğlu early in the morning: "Vote counting continues, votes are safe"
CHP İstanbul's Chairperson Canan Kaftancıoğlu, made an announcement at 06:42 am this morning (May 15) and stated that vote counting still continues in İstanbul and that the votes are safe.
She added that the vote counting could not be completed until this hour because of multiple counting in places and because there have been delays in the preparation of the combination reports where the results of the different ballot boxes and polling stations are added up. (VC/AS/PE)