The President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still awaiting the results of Turkey’s polls, which indicate his AK party Leader in the presidential election on Sunday.

What happened: Erdogan told supporters in Ankara he could still win but would respect the country’s decision if there was a runoff in two weeks.

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“We don’t know yet whether the elections ended in the first round… If our country has decided to have a second round, that’s also welcome,” Erdogan said. reported Associated Press.

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According to the state news agency Anadolu, Erdogan had 49.35% of the vote early on Monday. while his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroğlu had 44.99%. The Turkish leader needs 50% to avoid the runoff. The votes of around 3.4 million eligible voters abroad still had to be counted and could mean a turning point for Erdogan. In 2018 he won 60% of the votes abroad.

“The fact that the election results are not yet known does not change the fact that the nation elected us,” said Erdogan.

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Why it matters: Erdogan has been in power in Turkey since 2003 as prime minister or president. Pre-election polls had suggested his opponent was just ahead as the increasingly authoritarian leader faced stiff competition amid the country’s raging inflation in the Middle East.

Should Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu not reach the 50 percent hurdle, a second ballot will take place on May 28.

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