Preliminary results from Turkey's presidential election showed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead with almost 60 per cent of votes, compared with about 35 per cent for opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu late on Sunday.
But sources for Mr Kilicdaroglu's Republican People's Party (CHP) said the opposition leader was ahead by a narrow margin, Reuters reported.
CHP spokesman Faik Oztrak claimed his party was leading before state broadcaster TRT declared Mr Erdogan was in the lead.
Surveys had previously shown Mr Erdogan trailing Mr Kilicdaroglu, which would lead to Turkey having a new leader after more than 20 years of Erdogan rule.
Results were expected to roll in from across the country after 9pm local time (10pm UAE time).
In the Republican People's Party (CHP) stronghold of Besiktas, English student Mert Turkan, 24, from Iskenderun, told The National he voted for party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Iskenderun was hard hit in the February earthquake, which left more than 50,000 people dead — including Mr Turkan's brother, sister-in-law and nephew.
”People are against Erdogan because he failed to save our people,” he said, as he showed us video footage of him extracting his brother’s corpse from under the rubble. He said he no longer wanted to live in Turkey and hopes to emigrate to Germany.
"[My nephew] was born next to me, and he died next to me," said Mr Turkan, before displaying a tattoo on his left forearm of his nephew perched on his shoulders.
The student, who dropped out of university after the earthquake to support his family, said he supported Muharrem Ince in the last election, but is now supporting the CHP.
“I hate Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” he said. "He’s a dictator. Kilicdaroglu is trustworthy, he’s a really cool guy. Erdogan doesn’t allow anything.
A presidential candidate must secure more than 50 per cent of votes to avoid a run-off election on May 28.
Various restrictions have been put in place, including a ban on the sale of alcohol until midnight.
Media outlets are banned from reporting election-related news, commentary or predictions until after 6pm.
More than 191,000 ballot boxes have been sent out across Turkey for the about 61 million eligible voters, state media reported. Additional polling stations have been set up for tens of thousands of people displaced by February's earthquake who cannot return home to vote.
Outside a polling station in the neighbourhood of Katip Mustafa Celebi, local governor Aysel Kilic said: ”I can’t officially say who I voted for but I hope the best for Turkey.
"I hope everything will be beautiful,” she said, using a slogan of Mr Kilicdaroglu.
”The atmosphere is good, people are voting and everything is under control.”
Mehmet Sankarsan, 42, said he voted for the opposition in the hope it would improve life for Turkey’s large Kurdish minority.
“I hope Kilicdaroglu will win and he will solve the Kurdish issue and help poor people, because economically they’re in a terrible way,” he said. "I hope he will bring equality for all citizens."
Artist Bilge Keresu, 35, said she hoped an opposition win would strengthen women’s rights in Turkey.
”As women we have a lot of difficulties in Turkey," she said. "If Kilicdaroglu comes, I hope we will rejoin the Istanbul Convention and we will have our rights to live as equal citizens, the same as men as Turkey.”
Voters will also elect deputies to Turkey's 600-seat parliament.
The presidential candidates made their final pleas for votes in Istanbul and Ankara on Saturday.
Mr Kilicdaroglu, leader of the People's Republican Party (CHP), addressed a rally in the capital, where he also visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the party and of the modern Turkish state.
Addressing supporters in the rain, Mr Kilicdaroglu said: "Ataturk was open to innovation. He embraced change with courage. Focus all your energy on building the new, not fighting the old."
Mr Erdogan, leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), toured three Istanbul districts on the eve of the election, including his home area of Kasimpasa, where residents affirmed their support for the president despite the economic problems now facing the country.
Speaking later at the Hagia Sofia mosque, he said: "We will emerge stronger from the ballot box."
Mr Erdogan has dismissed accusations that he would not step down if he was defeated.
“If our nation decides to make such a different decision, we will do exactly what’s required by democracy,” he said in an interview aired by more than a dozen Turkish broadcasters on Friday.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which attracts about 10 per cent of votes and has backed Mr Kilicdaroglu, held its final rally in the Istanbul district of Yenekepi. Kurdish rap blared from loudspeakers as officials took to the stage shouting "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" or "Woman, Life, Freedom" — a famous Kurdish slogan which has recently featured in Iran's anti-government protests.
The withdrawal of presidential candidate Muharrem Ince on Thursday is expected to boost Mr Kilicdaroglu's votes.
Turnout is traditionally strong in Turkey, with more than 81 per cent of voters taking part in the 2018 election. Millions of first-time voters will also take to the polls.
Voters in the diaspora have already broken participation records, with more than three million votes cast.
MATCH INFO
Everton 0
Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
General%20Classification
%3Cp%3E1.%20Elisa%20Longo%20Borghini%20(ITA)%20Trek-Segafredo%3Cbr%3E2.%20Gaia%20Realini%20(ITA)%20Trek-Segafredo%207%20secs%3Cbr%3E3.%20Silvia%20Persico%20(ITA)%20UAE%20Team%20ADQ%201%20min%2018%20secs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
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Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
