As of 6:30 PM local time, the ban on reporting election results in Turkey has been lifted by the supreme election board. The ban was originally scheduled to be in place until 9 PM, but results are now expected to start trickling in more than two hours before that.
However, the overall picture of the election is likely to remain unclear for some time. This is because results from President Erdogan's rural and conservative heartland are expected to be declared early, while the support for his opponent, Kılıçdaroğlu, is concentrated in urban areas and may come through later.
Analysts have predicted that Erdogan will initially take a lead, but Kılıçdaroğlu may catch up in the course of the evening. It may take several hours for a clearer picture of the election results to emerge.
Leave a comment