Turkey Elections: As rallies conclude, Erdogan defends Putin, slips in polls
Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu are wrapping up their campaigns; Russia became an issue in Friday’s rallies.
ANKARA — With less than 40 hours to go until Turkey’s closest elections in its modern history, incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his top rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu are wrapping up their campaigns, and recent polls gave the lead to the main opposition leader.
Kilicdaroglu is streaking ahead of Erdogan, almost all of the polls released this week showed. It’s still unclear whether the main opposition leader will secure enough support (above 50% of the vote) to win the presidential election in the first round, avoiding a runoff.
A survey by Istanbul-based Yoneylem released on Friday gave Kilicdaroglu a lead of more than 5 points, at 49.5% to Erdogan’s 44.4%. The survey was conducted between May 9-10.
Another survey by Ankara-based ORC research, which was also released on Friday, showed Kilicdaroglu over the crucial 50% mark to be elected in the first round, as his support stood at 51.7%. Erdogan support stood at 44.2%, the ORC poll conducted May 10-11 showed.
