Erdogan beat Kemal Kilicdaroglu in ballot for the renewal of the presidency of the Turkish Republic. The Turkish leader will remain in power for another five years, until 2028, after having won all the direct elections for the renewal of the presidency. With yesterday's victory, the sultan of today will mark the history of Turkey for having been continuously in power for twenty years.
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With 99,67% of the votes tallied, Erdogan got 52,13% of the vote, while Kilicdaroglu, the unitary candidate of a coalition of 6 opposition parties and leader of the main centre-left opposition party CHP, stood still at 47,87%.
"Our people gave us trust once again, this victory opens the door to the century of Türkiye“, Erdogan said.
"I would like to thank all my colleagues who have worked with sacrifice at the polling stations since the early hours of the morning”, Erdogan said immediately after the polls closed. “I invite all my brothers and sisters to protect seats until the results are final. It's time to protect the will of our nation until the last moment”.
Including the number of residents abroad, the voters called to the polls totaled over 64,1 million. During the first round, on May 14, Erdogan had obtained 49,5% of the votes (27,08 million votes), while Kilicdaroglu 44,9% (24,56 million votes). The Supreme Electoral Commission announced that, during the voting procedures, "no negative situation arose".
The Kilicdaroglu reaction
"We will continue the fight, our march continues, we are here". This was stated during a press conference in Ankara by the 74-year-old leader of the opposition Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was defeated in the presidential runoff.
Reactions from around the world
One of the first international leaders to congratulate Erdogan was the Hungarian premier Viktor Orban"Indisputable electoral victory, congratulations president”. Then came the message from Vladimir Putin, who said he was ready “to continue the constructive dialogue on topical issues on the bilateral, regional and international agenda". "VictoryPutin added, it was a clear proof of the Turkish people's support for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy."
Also Joe Biden congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The White House reports it in a note. On Telegram the Ukrainian president Zelensky writes in Turkish: “Congratulations to President Erdogan on his victory in the presidential elections. We look forward to developing our cooperation for the security and stability of Europe and further strengthening our strategic partnership for the benefit of our countries.".
Even the prime minister Giorgia Meloni she congratulated: “Italy and Türkiye are allies and share important responsibilities in the Mediterranean and in the world. Together we can do more for our peoples and for global growth and stability."
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, he said he was ready to "work with her again to deepen EU-Turkey relations in the years to come". For the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, “Germany and Turkey are close partners and allies, our peoples and economies are deeply intertwined".
Even the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, sent a message to Erdogan: “I look forward to continuing the strong partnership between our countries, from growing trade to addressing security threats as NATO allies.". For the president Emmanuel Macron, "France and Turkey have huge challenges to face together: the return of peace to Europe, the future of our Euro-Atlantic Alliance, the Mediterranean Sea”.