Turkey: official results to confirm Erdogan win

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and MATTHEW LEE - Aug. 11, 2014 4:01 AM EDT

ISTANBUL (AP) - Turkey's election commission is expected to confirm the election of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president following the country's first direct vote for the post.

The commission is due to announce official figures Monday. Unofficial vote tallies by Turkish media showed Erdogan won about 51.9 percent in Sunday's election, with his main challenger Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu following with 38.3 percent. Selahattin Demirtas, a young Kurdish politician running on a left-wing platform, was in third place with 9.7 percent.

In his victory speech Sunday night, Erdogan struck a conciliatory tone toward critics who fear he is bent on a power grab as he embarks on another five years at the country's helm.

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