Turkey: Erdogan wins re-election as president

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, won re-election Sunday in a tense run-off after he failed to secure more than 50 percent of votes required for an outright victory in the first round on May 14 in the strongest challenge to his 20-year rule.

Turkish public broadcaster TRT called the presidential election for incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

State-run news agency Anadolu’s vote count shows Erdoğan leading opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu 52.11% to 47.89% with 98.52% of the vote counted.

Traffic has stopped in #Ankara.

Drivers honk and whistle, celebrating #Erdogan's victory in the elections.#Turkey #Turkeyelections2023 #TurkeyElections pic.twitter.com/aaosvI0Kvm

— Karina Karapetyan (@KarinaKarapety8) May 28, 2023

“We have completed the second round of the presidential election with the favor of our nation,” Erdoğan said following the tally. “I would like to express my gratitude to my people who made us live this democracy holiday. We will deserve your trust.”

Erdogan cast his vote at a voting center in Istanbul on Sunday. “This is a first in Turkish democratic history,” he said.

“Turkey, with nearly 90% participation in the last round, showed its democratic struggle beautifully and I believe it will do the same again today,” he added.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote at a school in Istanbul, Erdogan noted that it’s the first presidential runoff election in Turkey’s history. He also praised high voter turnout in the first round and said he expected participation to be high again on Sunday. He voted at the same time as Kilicdaroglu, as local television showed the rivals casting ballots on split screens.

Erdogan won the elections. #Turkey pic.twitter.com/7VHWOHQRvD

— Muhammad Smiry 🇵🇸 (@MuhammadSmiry) May 28, 2023

“I pray to God, that it (the election) will be beneficial for our country and nation,” he said.

Critics blame Erdogan’s unconventional economic policies for skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis. Many also faulted his government for a slow response to the earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey.

The victory would mean that Erdogan, 69, will extend his 20-year rule for another five years, and will also see him take Turkey past the centenary of the republic’s foundation in October.

https://twitter.com/Abidsuleri/status/1662866788143751169

Erdogan took 49.52 percent of the vote on May 14, while Kilicdaroglu received 44.88 percent.

While the incumbent went into the run-off with a strong momentum and an edge over his rival, his chances were bolstered by the endorsement of nationalist Sinan Ogan who came in third in the presidential race.

Ogan cited Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) winning a parliamentary majority as a reason for his decision. The AK Party and its allies secured 323 seats in the 600-strong parliament in simultaneous elections held on May 14.

BREAKING — #Erdogan declares victory in #Turkey’s runoff elections

“The winner of this election is all 85 million strong Turkish nation,” he says. #Turkey #TurkeyElections #Erdogan pic.twitter.com/rBvjDq63ee

— Saleem Iqbal Qadri (@SaleemQadri_) May 28, 2023

Erdogan performed better than expected in the first round in regions hit by devastating earthquakes in February that killed more than 50,000 in the country, confounding critics as the government was criticised for its slow response to the disaster.

Ultimately, the man who has led Turkey for more than two decades fought off what many observers had said would be his toughest challenge yet as Kilicdaroglu formed a six-party alliance to defeat him that included the CHP, a nationalist party and former allies of Erdogan.

The president’s position had been precarious in light of Turkey’s deepening economic crisis, soaring inflation and the devaluation of the currency, as well as the energy behind the opposition campaign, especially among young people.

Kilicdaroglu headed a steelier campaign in the days leading up to the run-off, sharpening his rhetoric on the divisive issue of Syrian and other refugees and pledging to send them home in order to capture the votes of nationalists.

BREAKING — Erdogan declares victory in Turkey’s runoff elections

“The winner of this election is all 85 million strong Turkish nation,” he says

pic.twitter.com/ijEuuK0kF1

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) May 28, 2023

That was not enough to unseat Turkey’s longtime leader, who has been president since 2014, and was prime minister from 2003.

These elections have been billed as the most consequential since Turkey’s first fair multi-party polls in 1950 – boiling down to a choice between five more years of Erdogan, the country’s most electorally successful politician, or a new direction under an old party, the CHP, that has attempted to reinvent itself in recent years.

The 2023 elections took on extra significance as the year marks the centenary of the Republic of Turkey. The country’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk also established the CHP, which governed under a largely one-party system for 27 years.

It was only the third time Turkey has directly voted for a president. Both previous contests had resulted in an outright victory for Erdogan in the first round, so a run-off vote has been unchartered territory for the country.

Erdogan supporter ecstatic

Erdogan supporters gathered at his Istanbul residence in anticipation of victory, chanting Allahu Akbar, or God is Greatest. “I expect everything to become better,” said Nisa, 28, a headscarved woman wearing a headband with Erdogan’s name.

Victory reinforces Erdogan’s image of invincibility after having already redrawn domestic, economic, security, and foreign policy in the NATO member country of 85 million people.

The win come after Erdogan weathered some of his toughest political headwinds yet, appealing to voters with nationalist and conservative rhetoric during a divisive campaign that deflected attention from deep economic troubles.