Turkey’s Electoral Board Confirms Election Results; Erdogan Meets Third-Party Candidate.

Turkiye’s Supreme Election Board has confirmed the results of the first round of the country’s presidential election. Neither incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his main challenger, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, received the majority support needed for an outright victory. Erdogan secured 49.24% of the vote, with Kilicdaroglu receiving 45.07% and a third candidate, nationalist politician Sinan Ogan, receiving 5.28%. This means a runoff election will be held on May 28 between the top two contenders. Ogan may hold the key to victory in the runoff now that he is out of the race. Speaking earlier this week, Ogan listed the conditions to earn his support, including taking a tough stance against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and creating a timeline for sending back millions of refugees.