Erdogan ahead in early results in Turkey

Turkey’s long-standing leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains ahead in presidential elections with 91% of votes counted, state media report.

Mr Erdogan has 53%, while his closest rival, Muharrem Ince, is on 30%.

If Mr Erdogan is confirmed with more than 50% of the final vote, he will be declared the winner and avoid the need for a second round of voting.

Opposition parties have raised concerns about vote-rigging and electoral fraud.

As well as the presidency, voters are also choosing members of parliament. Mr Erdogan’s party is ahead in that poll.

With 88% of the votes for parliament counted, the president’s AK Party leads with 43% of the votes, the state news agency Anadolu reports. The main opposition CHP is on 22%.

Crucially, the pro-Kurdish HDP looks set to reach the 10% threshold and enter parliament. This may make it harder for Mr Erdogan’s party and its ally to reach a majority, though currently they are on course to do so.

Voter turnout is high at almost 87%, the state broadcaster says.

Initial results were thought likely to favour the AK Party, so Mr Erdogan’s lead is expected to decrease as more votes are counted.

His opponent accused the state news agency of being manipulative by releasing results from pro-Erdogan areas first.

Turkey remains under a state of emergency imposed in the aftermath of a failed coup in July 2016.

Who is standing for president?

These elections were originally scheduled for November 2019 but were brought forward by Mr Erdogan.

He is seeking a second term as president, and would govern under a new constitution which grants the president new powers.

Mr Erdogan was prime minister for 11 years before becoming president in 2014.

Should he win, Mr Ince has promised to push back what he characterized as a slide into authoritarian rule under Mr Erdogan.

But his opponent accused the former physics teacher of not having the skills to lead.

Around 60 million Turks were eligible to take part in Sunday’s dual polls.

As well as Mr Erdogan and Mr Ince, there are four candidates on the ballot.

If no one candidate crosses the 50% threshold in an outright win, the top two will face off in a second-round vote on 8 July.

The biggest is the economy. The Turkish lira has tanked and inflation stands at around 11% – so ordinary people are feeling the squeeze.

Terrorism is another vexed issue, as Turkey faces attacks from Kurdish militants and the jihadists of the Islamic State group.

However, correspondents say the country tends to vote along its big divides: one between Kurds and nationalists, and another between religious and secular people.