
Turkey appeared headed for a presidential runoff with the parties of Tayyip Erdogan and opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu each claiming the lead, but sources in both camps admit they may not clear the 50% threshold to win outright.
Early results on Sunday put Erdogan in the lead, but as counting continued, his lead narrowed as expected.
A runoff on May 28 seems likely, which would delay a decision for the president's two decades in power, writes Reuters.
Pre-election opinion polls gave Kilicdaroglu, who heads a six-party alliance, a slight lead and two polls on Friday even showed him above the 50% threshold. However, most had suggested a narrow margin.
Erdogan said on Sunday that the rush to announce election results while counting was underway would mean stealing the will of the people, while Kilicdaroglu warned election authorities to record all nationwide results.