Ankara, Jun 25 (AFP) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a new mandate in presidential elections in the first round of voting by winning more than half of the votes, the chief of Turkey's election authority said today.

"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the absolute majority of all valid votes," the head of the Supreme Election Committee (YSK) Sadi Guven told reporters in Ankara, without giving further details or numbers after yesterday's polls.

Results released by Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency based on data from the YSK also gave Erdogan a clear majority of votes.

Erdogan won 52.5 per cent in the presidential poll while his main rival Muharrem Ince, of the secular Republican People's Party (CHP), was on 31.7 percent, Anadolu news agency said, based on a 99 per cent vote count.

The YSK is to announce final results on Friday. (AFP) KIS

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