Erdoğan announces his victory in the Turkish presidential elections

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced his victory in the presidential elections, Sunday evening.

Erdoğan’s victory that would extend his rule, which has taken an increasingly authoritarian turn, for a third decade.

On a bus in Istanbul, Erdoğan thanked the people for voting and said the voters had given him the responsibility to rule for the next five years, saying that this victory is for Türkiye.

The head of the Turkish Supreme Electoral Commission, Ahmet Yanar, confirmed Erdoğan’s victory after obtaining 52.14% of the vote, which represents the official result of the elections.

Yanar said that after counting 99.43% of the ballot boxes, Erdoğan’s rival Kılıçdaroğlu received 47.86%.

He added that with a difference of more than two million votes between the two candidates, the rest of the votes that haven’t yet been counted won’t change anything in the result.

On the other hand, his rival, opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, said he would continue to lead the struggle and that he had lost what he said was the most unfair election in years against the incumbent.

Kılıçdaroğlu added in statements from Ankara that the results showed the people’s desire to change the authoritarian government.

He said he saddened by the problems Türkiye would face.

Meral Akşener, leader of the opposition (İYİ) Good Party, also congratulated the president on his victory, but said she would continue her career as an opposition.

Akşener added, in statements from Ankara, that the results showed that there is a big lesson that Erdoğan needs to learn, noting that she hopes that Erdoğan will be the president of all Turks.

The Turkish lira fell to 20.05 against the US dollar, with Erdoğan announcing his victory.

This number is very close to the record low of 20.06, which the lira recorded against the US currency on Friday.

The Turkish currency has fallen by more than 6% since the beginning of the year.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his “dear friend” Erdoğan, saying the victory was evidence of the appreciation of the Turkish people for his independent foreign policy.

US President Joe Biden congratulated Erdoğan on his re-election, saying, “I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO allies on bilateral issues and common global challenges”.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his aspiration to “move forward” in raising common global challenges.

“We’ll continue to move forward with President Erdoğan, whom I congratulate on his re-election,” Macron wrote on Twitter.

“France and Türkiye face enormous challenges that they must face together,” Macron added, referring to the return of peace to Europe and the future of the Euro-Atlantic alliance and the Mediterranean as major topics.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hoped to “strengthen the strategic partnership” with Türkiye.

As for former US President Donald Trump, he praised Erdoğan’s “great and well-deserved victory”.

The presidents of Iran and Algeria and the Emir of Qatar were among the leaders who congratulated him in the Middle East, where Turkish influence, and sometimes-military force, has established itself.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi also congratulated him in a statement.

Erdoğan also received congratulations from Abd al Hamid al Dabiba, head of the Libyan National Unity Government, and the Iraqi prime minister, Muhammad Shia al Sudani.

European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his victory in the run-off of the Turkish presidential elections on Sunday.

“Congratulations to you, Erdoğan, on your re-election as President of Turkiye… I look forward to working with you again to deepen the ties between the EU and Türkiye in the coming years,” Michel wrote on Twitter.

Von der Leyen also posted a tweet congratulating Erdoğan on the victory.

“I look forward to continuing to build relations between the EU and Türkiye, and strengthening these relations is of strategic importance for both the European Union and Türkiye in order to serve our two peoples,” she wrote on Twitter.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro congratulated his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for his leadership in the Turkish presidential elections.

Maduro wrote on Twitter, “Venezuela congratulates our brother and friend Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his victory in the presidential elections… Erdoğan is the winner in the presidential and parliamentary elections”.

He added, “I congratulate the Turkish people on this victory. We hope to continue working with Türkiye to build the new world… Long live Türkiye”.

Maduro attached his tweet to pictures of President Erdoğan in the Hagia Sophia mosque and while casting his vote in the elections.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on winning the run-off of the Turkish presidential elections, although official results haven’t yet been announced.

“An indisputable electoral victory,” Hungary’s prime minister wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

The Afghan Taliban congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on winning the run-off of the Turkish presidential elections, even before the official results announced.

Taliban government Chief Mohammad Hassan Akhund said he hoped the “friendship relations” with Türkiye would continue, the Afghan News agency reported on Sunday.

The Islamic Movement has returned to power since the summer of 2021, but it has not received recognition from any country as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

The election was seen as one of the most important in the country, as the opposition believed it had a strong chance of ousting Erdoğan after his popularity was hit by the cost of living crisis.

Erdoğan’s victory will cement his image as an indomitable leader who has already redrawn domestic, economic, security and foreign policy in the NATO member state of 85 million and cemented its status as a power in the region.

Erdoğan’s victory doesn’t seem to sound alarm bells across the Middle East, after he had reached compromises with a number of governments with which he was at odds.

Supporters gathered at his residence in Istanbul, awaiting his victory, after data from the official Anadolu News Agency and the opposition Anka news agency indicated that he had won, with nearly 99% of the ballot boxes counted.

Erdoğan, the leader of the Islamist-rooted AK Party, charmed voters with nationalist and conservative rhetoric during a divisive campaign that diverted attention from deep economic woes.

Erdoğan’s supporters, who gathered in front of his residence in Istanbul, chanted, “God is great”.