Türkiye went to the polls today. The building opened at 8 am local time and voting was possible until 5 pm (4 pm Dutch time). According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the day went by without a hitch.
The president took to Twitter shortly after the polls closed. According to Erdogan, the Turkish voter showed his best side, although there were some reports of local incidents. You can read more about this in our live blog.
Erdogan cast his vote in Istanbul around noon in the presence of his wife and grandson. Just before that, his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, did just that in the capital, Ankara. The two leaders are expected to deliver a speech in Ankara later in the day. Erdogan is also expected to arrive in Istanbul.
Final figures on turnout are not yet available, but they are traditionally very high in Turkey. A turnout of more than 80 percent is the rule, not the exception. Reports came in from across the country of long lines at polling stations throughout the day. According to the first reports, this year the turnout was 93.6 percent.
There is currently a ban on broadcasting election results until 9pm local time. This ban is usually lifted sooner. There is no such thing as opinion polls. Instead, results come from polling stations as soon as they are known.
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