Erdogan calls Turkish voters to ensure stability in runoff vote

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, walks at the Republican People's Party (CHP) headquarters on election night in Ankara, Turkey May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called Turkish voters to support him in a May 28 election runoff to maintain stability in Turkey, as he seeks to extend his rule into a third decade.

Erdogan got 49.5% in Sunday's vote and fell just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff in a vote seen as a referendum on his autocratic rule. His main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party opposition alliance, received 45%.