Turkish opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu believes he is “leading” in the presidential election against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“We are ahead,” Kilicdaroglu tweeted at 7:53 pm, as the vote count gave Erdogan a lead of more than 10 points.

Endeyes.

— Kemal Kilicdaroglu (@kilicdarogluk) May 14, 2023

The mayors of Istanbul and Ankara, representing the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kilicdaroglu, also said the opposition leader was on the road to victory earlier when only a quarter of the votes were counted. Both mayors urged voters to be careful not to rely on the results published by Anadolu..

“We can say with confidence: today Kılıçdaroğlu will be declared the 13th president of our country,” said Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu. Four opposition sources told Reuters that Kılıçdaroğlu was barely ahead of Erdoğan.

Faik Oztrak, a spokesman for the Republican People’s Party Kılıçdaroğlu (CHP), said he sees a positive picture in the election results.

At 21:04, when 67.09% of the votes were counted, Erdogan was in the lead with 51.38% and Kılıçdaroğlu followed him with 42.78%.

Sources: TRT, APE-MPE.