Results are coming in after voting concluded in Türkiye’s elections with more than 64 million eligible voters expected to have cast their ballots to elect a president and parliament for a five-year term. Yet, state-run TRT World and Anadolu Agency reported early projections that showed Erdogan was ahead with 50.83 percent of votes, compared to 43.36 percent for Kilicdaroglu. The numbers were based on a tally of 74.47 percent of all ballot boxes. Spokesman for Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) Omer Celik said that emerging initial data put Erdogan in the lead. Meanwhile, the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara, both members of the opposition, said that Kilicdaroglu was in the lead. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu asked Turks not to heed election results from state news agency Anadolu and said that initial results showed that Kilicdaroglu was on track to win. “We can say this comfortably: Mr. Kilicdaroglu will be announced as the 13th president of our country today,” said Imamoglu. And Ankara’s mayor Mansur Yavas said: “Anadolu Agency no longer fulfils its function. According to the data we have, the rate of ballot boxes opened is 23.87%. Kemal Kilicdaroglu is currently in the lead. Trust us, believe us.” Earlier, Kilicdaroglu’s party the Republican People’s Party (CHP) said that early voting results were positive. CHP spokesman Faik Oztrak said on TV: “According to the data we received so far, we see the table very positively. When the number of ballot boxes opened reaches a meaningful figure, we will start to share the number of votes.” Should neither candidate secure more than half the votes in Sunday’s first round of voting, a May 28 run-off will be held. The polls opened at 8:00 AM (05:00 GMT) and closed at 5:00 PM (14:00 GMT). Media organisations were barred from reporting partial results until an embargo was lifted at 6:30 PM (1530 GMT) by The Supreme Election Council (YSK). There are five multiparty blocs in the running: the People’s Alliance, Nation Alliance, Ata Alliance, Labour and Freedom Alliance, and Union of Socialist Power Alliance. President Erdogan has tweeted that the elections were carried out “with ease and simplicity” and “is an expression of Türkiye’s democratic maturity.” “While the elections have passed in such a positive and democratic atmosphere, hastily attempting to announce the results while vote counting is still ongoing would constitute a usurpation of the national will,” Erdogan said. “We are pleased that the continued counting of votes reflects the will of our people.