Turkey election: Erdogan wins second term as president
Ankara, June 25 : Turkey's long-standing leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the country's presidential poll in the first round, the election authority chief has said.
Sadi Guven said the president "received the absolute majority of all valid votes", but gave no further details, BBC reported on Monday.
Turkish media reports put Erdogan on 53 per cent with 99 per cent of votes counted, and his closest rival Muharrem Ince on 31 per cent.
The opposition is yet to officially concede but said it would continue its democratic fight "whatever the result".
It had earlier cast doubt on results being broadcast by state media. Final results will be announced on Friday.
Erdogan said the governing alliance of his AK Party had secured a majority in parliament. "Turkey has given a lesson in democracy to the entire world," he said.
Under Turkey's new constitution, due to come into force after the election, the president will hold considerable power.
Some critics argue the enhanced role will see too much power accumulated in one person's hands, and that Turkey lacks the checks and balances of other executive presidencies such as France or the US.
With 96 per cent of the votes for parliament counted, the president's AK Party leads with 42 per cent of the votes, Anadolu news agency reports. The main opposition CHP is on 23 per cent.
Turkey's electoral board confirmed that the pro-Kurdish HDP has reached the 10 per cent threshold needed to enter parliament. Before the vote, analysts said this might make it harder for Erdogan's party and its ally the MHP to reach a majority, although currently they are on course to do so.
Voter turnout was high, at almost 87 per cent.
"I hope nobody will try to cast a shadow on the results," Erdogan said.
There are reports that CHP presidential candidate Ince has admitted defeat in a message to a journalist, though this has not been confirmed.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
