Why the outcome of Turkey’s tight election race matters for the US | JUST THE FAQS

What to know about Turkey's tight presidential vote and how it could have implications around the world, including here in the United States.

RELATED: Here's what the end of Title 42 means for border enforcement

With the unofficial count nearly completed, support for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for 20 years with an increasingly authoritarian grip, dipped below the majority required for him to win reelection outright. Erdogan had 49.5% of the vote, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu had 44.8%, according to the state-run news agency Anadolu.

A candidate needed to secure 50% of votes to avoid the runoff.

Voters in Turkey were largely concerned about domestic issues such as the economy, civil rights and a February earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people. But Western nations and investors also awaited the outcome. Turkey's main benchmark stock index fell more than 6% in early trading Monday as investors absorbed the uncertain election results, before recovering to trade about 2.5% down.

» Subscribe to USA TODAY:
» Watch more on this and other topics from USA TODAY:
» USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR.

#Turkey #Erdogan #Elections