President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won Turkey’s presidential election on Sunday, beating opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and extending his power into a third decade.
With a third term, Erdoğan will have a much stronger position at both domestic and international levels, and the election outcomes will have far-reaching impacts well beyond Ankara, especially as Turkey, a crucial member of NATO, finds itself at the nexus between Europe and Asia.
Erdoğan Wins Election
The Supreme Election Council (YSK) reported preliminary results based on 99.43% of the vote, awarding Erdoğan 52.14% of the vote against his opponent Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s 47.86%. Based on preliminary results, YSK Chair Ahmet Yener formally declared Erdoğan the next president at a news conference.
Erdoğan led in nine of the 11 provinces in the earthquake zone, including Adyaman, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa, Elazığ and Hatay based on preliminary findings.
In Adana and Diyarbakır, Kılıçadorğlu, the leader of Turkey’s major opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the six-party Nation Alliance, was ahead.
Just IN:— Recep Erdogan wins Turkey elections, will remain President for 5 more years.
— South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) May 28, 2023
☆ This is his 11th election victory in a row. Erdogan has announced that this will be his last election.
Erdoğan received 49.5% of the vote in the first round of the presidential vote, falling just short of victory. Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu had obtained 44.9% of the vote. Neither candidate got 50% of the votes, which prompted a runoff. The third contender, Sinan Ogan, had garnered 5.28% of the vote.
A victorious Erdoğan addressed his supporters briefly outside his home in Istanbul’s Kısıklı locale after the majority of the voting forms were counted, before going to Ankara to deliver his election victory speech. The streets were filled with exuberant supporters of the president across several provinces.
Speaking at his party’s headquarters in Ankara, Kılıçdaroğlu pledged to fight until Turkey achieves “true democracy.” “This was the most unfair election period in our history… We did not bow down to the climate of fear,” he said. “In this election, the will of the people to change an authoritarian government became clear despite all the pressures.”
Erdoğan Victory Remarks
Erdoğan expressed gratitude towards citizens “once again” for entrusting him with the responsibility of protecting the country as a whole. Referring to his ambitious reform plan for the Republic of Türkiye’s centennial, he stated, “You did not abandon the People’s Alliance, and we walked this path together. Are you ready to build the ‘Century of Türkiye’ together?”
The president emphasised that “all 85 million people” in Turkey “won today,” regardless of the candidate they supported, and praised the country’s desire for democracy. “Nobody lost today. We are not offended by anyone’s choice. It is time to set aside everything and become united to achieve our national dreams. It is a heartfelt call,” he added.
WATCH 🚨 Massive number of supporters gather outside Presidential complex to celebrate Erdogan's victory in presidential elections of Turkey pic.twitter.com/nUwfnLfEyt
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) May 28, 2023
Erdoğan stated that battling inflation and repairing the damage from the devastating 6 February earthquake in Turkey and neighbouring Syria will be among the government’s most pressing issues. He also said that a million Syrian refugees would return to Turkish-controlled “safe zones” in Syria as part of a joint relocation effort with Qatar.
In his post-election speech, Erdoğan said, “Another urgent matter is addressing the problems stemming from price rises caused by inflation. It is not a difficult task for us. You will see that the inflation will fall as the interest rates fall.”
The Turkish President claimed that releasing former pro-Kurdish party leader Selahattin Demirtas, who he labelled a “terrorist,” would be unlikely under his rule.
World Leaders Congratulate Erdoğan
Among the first to congratulate Erdoğan were the leaders of Russia, Qatar, Libya, Algeria, Hungary, Iran, and the Palestinian Authority.
Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked on the Kremlin’s website, saying the election provided “clear evidence of the Turkish people’s support” for Erdogan’s efforts “to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy.”
On Twitter, US President Joe Biden stated, “I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that he wants the two countries to broaden their partnership and cooperation “for the security and stability of Europe.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated Erdoğan on his reelection. “[Guterres] looks forward to further strengthening cooperation between Türkiye and the United Nations,” said spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
#JoeBiden and #VladimirPutin were among world leaders congratulating #Turkish President #RecepTayyipErdogan after he won the historic runoff election to extend his two-decade rule https://t.co/sfWE1eynNL
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) May 29, 2023
Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Erdoğan, noting how “deeply intertwined” the people and economy of both their nations are, adding that “together we want to advance our common agenda with a fresh impetus!”
UK PM Rishi Sunak expressed his desire for the UK and Turkey to continue their “strong collaboration” and “[tackle] security threats as NATO allies.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog declared that he and Erdoğan are “convinced” that they “will continue to work together to strengthen and expand the good ties” between their nations.
Indian PM Narendra Modi congratulated Erdoğan on his re-election and expressed optimism that bilateral ties between the two countries on global issues will grow substantially.