The election in Turkey

Valet i Turkiet

Erdogan in the polling station on Sunday Murad Sezer / AP 

 

Right now: Erdogan is heading for victory in the Turkish election 

 

 Unofficial results by Turkey's state news agency Anadolu show that President Erdogan has taken the lead after more than 90 percent of the votes were counted, AP 

 

reports. According to Anadolu, Erdogan has 53 percent while his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu has 47 percent.  

 

At the same time, figures from the Anka news agency, which is closer to the opposition, show that Erdogan has 51 percent and Kilicdaroglu 49 percent.  

 

In addition, the first official figures from Turkey's electoral authority have begun to trickle in. They show that Erdogan leads with almost 55 percent when just over half of the votes are counted.  

 

Voters in Turkey on Sunday. TT 

 

Polling stations close - voters: "The country needs to breathe" 

 

At 4 p.m., Swedish time, the polling stations in Turkey closed. Within a few hours, a first preliminary election result is expected to be presented, writes Al Jazeera.  

 

Reuters has spoken to several voters in the capital Ankara to get a picture of what decided their choice of leader. 

 

23-year-old Burak has decided to vote for challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, after voting for nationalist Sinan Ogan in the first round. He hopes that a change of leadership can ease the difficult economic situation in the country, with sky-high inflation and widespread unemployment. 

 

- I hope that he wins and that this country can breathe a little after such a long period. Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll see difficult times, says Burak. 

 

58-year-old Omer Kosekol has instead cast his vote for President Erdogan. For him it was an obvious choice.  

 

- I voted for him because he is a world leader. I voted for him because I appreciate what he has done for Turkey. He has changed the healthcare system for the better, he has built new roads.