Erdogan Addresses Ankara Crowd as Final Election Votes Counted

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed a crowd in Ankara early on May 15, as the final votes were being counted in a tight election that could see a possible runoff vote.

Erdogan, who has been in power since 2003, said early Monday that he could still win the election but would respect the nation’s decision if the race went to a runoff against his main rival, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

“We don’t yet know if the elections ended in the first round…If our nation has chosen for a second round, that is also welcome,” Erdogan said, according to reports. Credit: AK Parti via Storyful