are on, so let s get started. time now to focus on the top business stories. i m sally bundock and we begin in turkey where, as you ve been hearing, most ballots are counted in this crucial general election and there does not appear to be a clear winner. official figures indicate that president recep tayyip erdogan has fallen short of of the crucial 50% of the vote. his secular opposition rival, kemal kilicdaroglu, is on around 45%, with a run off contest in two weeks time looking likely. turkey has been grappling with a cost of living crisis with inflation running at 44%, a key factor in turkish sentiment right now. let s talk to our reporter in ankara victoria craig who has spent much of the night at the headquarters of mr kilicdaroglu. good to see you. first of all, talk us through the feeling, the sentiment among those who are supporting the opposition. it was very, very long night for anyone who was keeping track of what was happening in turkey. i didn t get home
the country has been battling soaring inflation and the fellow from the recent earthquakes. standing against him is kemal kilicdaroglu, who is backed by a broad opposition alliance. here s what one of the supporters of the opposition had to say. translation: i am so excited. i can t feel my heartbeat. i still believe we will win. we have to get rid of this system already. especially as a woman, i want this change. the situation of the country is obvious. i m extremely excited. we wait with enthusiasm. i hope we win, i hope all would be as we wish. we are a bit anxious, a bit tense. i haven t been able to sleep for the past week. i woke up at 5am today, casted my vote and directly came here right after. meanwhile in thailand, voters have overwhelmingly chosen to end nearly a decade of military rule. but the question is, who is next? both opposition parties are neck and neck to lead the new government. here are the leaders of both the move forward and pheu thai parties. we have
one of turkey s most critical elections which will decide if president erdogan should remain in power after 20 years. president erdogan faces his biggest challenge yet, with turkey in the midst of soaring inflation, and the country still reeling from two earthquakes in february in which more than 50,000 people died. the poll is one of the most consequential in the country s modern history, with mr erdogan s islamic party challenged by an opposition set on a more secular course, and promising closer ties to the west. his main rival is kemal kilicdaroglu who is backed by a broad opposition alliance and has promised to scrap many of the powers acquired by the president. 0ur senior international correspondent, 0rla guerin, reports from the turkish capital ankara. people talk excitedly. a tense moment in a tight election. here in ankara, voters spotted two people in one polling booth. the police were called in. the ballot box matters in turkey, and the opposition are on the look
hello, i m helena humphries. we begin in turkey, where a pivotal presidential election is heading down to the wire. with more than 91% of ballots counted, neither current president recep tayyip erdogan nor his fiercest rival kemal kilicdaroglu have cleared the threshold to win outright on sunday. the head of turkey s high election board said not long ago that mr erdogan was leading with 49.49% while kilicdaroglu had 4a.49% of votes. now, if neither can clear 50%, there will be a run off election. both candidates have said they would accept a potential run off vote, which would take place on may 28th. our international correspondent orla guerin is in ankara, and has more on what s at stake in this election. people talk excitedly a tense moment in a tight election. here in ankara, voters spotted two people in one polling booth. the police were called in. the ballot box matters in turkey, and the opposition are on the lookout for fraud. this is a pivotal vote which could mean th