ISTANBUL — An unofficial vote count indicates Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to win the country's first-ever presidential election in the first round, cementing his position as Turkey's all-powerful leader, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Sunday.
With more than 66% of ballot boxes counted at the time of writing, Erdogan had the support of 54.69% of Turks, according to the count by Anadolu. His main rival, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, had 36.82%, while the third candidate, Selahattin Demirtas, had 8.49%.
The Anadolu agency has employees stationed at every ballot station, who send the results to its headquarters in Ankara. Turkey's electoral commission is not expected to announce any official results until Monday.
Now in his third term as prime minister at the head of the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Erdogan has been a polarizing figure.
He is fervently supported by many as a man of the people who has led Turkey through a period of economic prosperity. His critics, however, view him as an increasingly autocratic leader bent on concentrating power, and imposing his religious and conservative views on a country founded on strong secular traditions.
Additional reporting by Mashable