TURKEY’S presidential election will be decided in a run-off vote, election officials said today.

The announcement followed incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s failure to secure an outright victory that would extend his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade.

The second round of the election, due on May 28, will determine whether Mr Erdogan keeps his tight grip on Turkey or whether the country can enjoy a fresh start under his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The president, who has governed for 20 years, initially as prime minister, also saw his alliance retain control of parliament.  

Preliminary results showed Mr Erdogan winning 49.51 per cent, Mr Kilicdaroglu taking 44.88 per cent and third candidate Sinan Ogan receiving 5.17 per cent, according to Supreme Electoral Board head Ahmet Yener.

In the last presidential election, held in 2018, Mr Erdogan secured 52.6 per cent of the vote in the first round, giving him outright victory. 

Even as it became clear that a run-off was likely, Mr Erdogan painted the outcome of Sunday’s vote as a victory for both himself and the country.

“That the election results have not been finalised doesn’t change the fact that the nation has chosen us,” Mr Erdogan told supporters in the early hours of today.

He pledged to respect the electorate’s decision.

Mr Kilicdaroglu said: “Despite all of his lies and attacks, Erdogan did not receive the desired outcome. No-one should be enthusiastic about this being a done deal.

“Preliminary results show Erdogan did not receive the public confidence vote that he expected.

“The need for a change in society exceeds 50 per cent.

“We will absolutely win in the second round and bring democracy.”

The alliance led by Mr Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) looked likely to hold onto its majority in the 600-seat National Assembly.

The AKP and its allies secured 321 seats, while the opposition took 213 and the 66 remaining went to a pro-Kurdish alliance.

The pro-Kurdish Green Left Party won in the predominantly Kurdish provinces of the south-east.

Results reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency showed that Mr Erdogan’s party won 10 out of 11 provinces in the earthquake-devastated southern region of the country, despite criticism of a slow response by his government to the 7.8-magnitude quake that killed more than 50,000 people.