Turkish PM praises poll body over successful elections

Turkey’s prime minister praised the Supreme Election Council (YSK) for successfully carrying out the nation’s presidential and general elections on Sunday.

“The months of preparations by the YSK are one of the reasons why these elections have taken place so calmly and successfully,” Binali Yıldırım told reporters in the capital Ankara.

Polling in Turkish elections ended at 5.00 p.m. (1400GMT) on Sunday.

With the polls officially closed, electoral committees across the country’s 81 provinces have started counting ballots.

Votes were cast in 180,065 polling places across the country.

Voting at Turkish customs gates with adjoining countries, which began on June 7, has also ended.

Votes by Turks living abroad who cast their ballots in 60 countries at 123 embassies and consulates will be counted at the same time in the capital Ankara.