“We have all missed democracy so much. We all missed being together,” Kilicdaroglu said after voting at a school in Ankara, where his supporters chanted “President Kilicdaroglu!”
“From now on, you will see that spring will come to this country,” he said.
Erdogan said voting was underway “without any problems,” including in the earthquake-affected region.
“It is my hope that after the evening’s count … there will be a better future for our country, our nation and Turkish democracy,” Erdogan said.
Also running for president was Sinan Ogan, a former academic who has the backing of an anti-immigrant nationalist party. Another candidate, center-left politician Muharrem Ince, dropped out of the race on Thursday following a significant drop in his ratings. But the country’s election board said his withdrawal was invalid and votes for him would get counted.
Some have expressed concerns over whether Erdogan would cede power, if he lost. Erdogan said in an interview with more than a dozen Turkish broadcasters on Friday that he came to power through democracy and would act in line with the democratic process.
Balloting in the 11 provinces affected by the earthquake, where nearly 9 million people were eligible to vote, has raised concerns.
Around 3 million people have left the quake zone for other provinces, but only 133,000 people registered to vote at their new locations. Political parties and non-governmental organizations planned to transport voters by bus but it was not clear how many made the journey back.
Many of the quake survivors cast votes at makeshift polling stations erected on school yards.
In Diyarbakir, a Kurdish-majority city that was hit by the earthquake, Ramazan Akcay arrived early at his polling station to cast his vote.
“God willing it will be a democratic election,” he said. “May it be beneficial in the name of our country.”
Source- Hindustan Times.