“Türkiye’s crucial parliamentary and presidential elections on the brink of conclusion as poll stations shutter”

It was a day of great bewilderment and excitement as the historic parliamentary and presidential elections took place in Ankara, Türkiye. Photos captured the ballot papers that would make historical decisions. The polls opened early in the morning and closed at precisely 5 p.m. local time (2 p.m. GMT) leaving many feeling a sense of frenzy and anticipating the results. The turnout was massive, with over 64.1 million people registered to vote, including first-time voters and those abroad. A total of 191,885 ballot boxes were arranged for the voters.

Each voter had the power to cast two ballots, a presidential and a lawmaker vote, that would determine the next leaders for the next five years. The presidential candidates on the ballot were Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was seeking re-election, leading opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Sinan Oğan. Muharrem Ince, another contender for the presidential race, withdrew from the race earlier, leaving many astonished.

The Supreme Election Council (YSK), Türkiye’s election authority, affirmed the validity of votes for all candidates, including Ince’s. Over 30 political parties and 150 independent parliamentary candidates competed in the election. It was no surprise that the stakes were high, with five multiparty blocs contesting in the elections: People’s Alliance, Nation Alliance, Ancestral Alliance, Labor and Freedom Alliance, and Union of Socialist Forces Alliance.