Voters in Turkey return to ballot boxes for presidential runoff

The polls opened in Turkey on Sunday for the presidential runoff election, pitting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, with the former looking to contain his hold on power.

The initial election was held on May 14, but a runoff was triggered after neither candidate garnered the requisite 50% vote needed to carry the presidency. Erodgan, who performed better than expected in the first round, earned 49.52% of the vote to Kilicdaroglu's 44.88%, according to Turkey's state-run Andalou Agency. Most polls show that Erodgan is likely to pull off the victory in the runoff.

If he does, Erdogan would defeat the greatest challenge yet to his 20 years in office, and remain in power despite a number of controversies appearing to sour the Turkish people to him. Described by The Economist as ruling Turkey in an "increasingly autocratic style," Erdogan is often seen as one of the globe's most notable strongmen.

Erdogan has led Turkey for a generation, serving as prime minister from 2003 to 2014 and as president since then. He performed well in the initial election round despite polls showing some disillusionment with his presidency. Public opinion seemed to turn sharply following his government's response to a series of earthquakes this past February that left thousands of people dead. Erdogan was criticized for the perceived slow response and lack of government help for the natural disaster.

As a result, there is still a chance that Kilicdaroglu could pull off the upset victory, with the opposition candidate telling reporters, per CNN, "In order to get rid of the oppression and to get rid of this authoritarian leadership, to bring real democracy and freedom, I call on all citizens to go vote and to stand by the ballot boxes after."

Erdogan has pledged a peaceful transition of power if he loses.

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