ANKARA — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured on Sunday another term in office, extending his 20-year hold on power in NATO country and defeating main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Erdogan, 69, won Turkey’s most contested election in a race that saw the country deeply split around issues of the economy, national security, refugees and foreign relations.
Kilicdaroglu conceded defeat after results showed Erdogan with an insurmountable 4% lead.
Speaking in a televised presser at his party headquarters in Ankara, Kilicdaroglu said the country witnessed an unfair process. “My real sadness is the troubles waiting for the country,” he said.
Erdogan received 52.07% of the vote while Kilicdaroglu received 47.93, according to unofficial results carried by the state-run Anadolu news agency. Official results were to be declared by Turkey’s High Election Board.
Addressing his ecstatic supporters earlier Sunday in Istanbul, Erdogan thanked his voters for entrusting him with another five-year term in power. “All 85 million of our citizens are the winners of both the May 14 and May 28 elections,” he said. “I would like to thank each and every member of our nation who once again entrusted us with the responsibility of governing the country for the next five years.”
Erdogan supporters across Turkey took to the streets to celebrate their candidate’s victory.
The incumbent president’s victory was widely expected after Erdogan secured a nearly five-point lead against Kilicdaroglu in the first round on May 14. Erdogan’s electoral alliance also won control of the parliament by winning the majority of the seats.
Several leaders rushed to congratulate Erdogan after his election victory. The leaders of Qatar, Hungary, Somalia and Pakistan were among the first heads of state and government to congratulate Erdogan, Anadolu reported.
Turkey’s incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the election on Sunday, securing another term in office, as he defeated opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu and extended his 20-year grip on power.
The Associated Press projected Erdogan as the winner on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. local Ankara time. With nearly 99% of votes counted, unofficial results of several Turkish news agencies showed Erdogan with 52% of the vote compared with 48% for his challenger.
Official results were to be declared by Turkey’s High Election Board, but unofficial results carried by the state-run Anadolu news agency showed he secured more than 50% of the vote, which is required to be elected as president.
Erdogan received the 52.07% of the vote while Kilicdaroglu received 47.93, according to Anadolu state news agency.
Erdogan’s victory was widely expected after the country’s incumbent president finished the first round of the race on May 14 with a nearly five-point lead against his top rival Kilicdaroglu.
Kilicdaroglu, who along with the leaders of his electoral alliance has been watching the counting at his party’s headquarters in Ankara, is set to speak soon.
Erdogan, 69, has been in power as prime minister since 2003, became president in 2014 and has expanded his executive powers, eliciting accusations from the opposition of veering Turkey toward authoritarianism.
His win against Kilicdaroglu solidifies his executive presidency and his status as the longest-serving leader in the country’s history. But the incumbent president will face great challenges in power amid breakneck inflation and an acute cost-of-living crisis.
Turkey Central Bank‘s net foreign reserves fell below zero for the first time since 2002, official data released earlier this week showed. The opposition charges that under Erdogan’s influence, the central bank burned its forex reserves in a bid to rein in the Turkish lira’s dramatic slump, funneling hard currency to the market through back-door channels.
An 84% turnout marked the main election day, slightly lower than the 88% registered in the first round on May 14 and lower than previous elections.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
