IRIA News

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won another historic term in office defeating opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the runoff elections held on May 28, 2023. Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency for five more years.

According to the official results announced by the head of the country’s Supreme Elections Council Ahmet Yener, Erdogan won Turkey’s presidency with 52.14% votes, beating his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu who received 47.96% votes. Erdogan secured 2 million more votes than his competitor.

Erdogan came just short of a victory in the first round of elections on May 14 after the presidential candidates failed to achieve the 50% majority threshold. In the first phase of general elections, President Erdogan defied pre-election forecasts and led the first round of elections with 49.51% votes. His opponent, the 74-year-old Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who leads a six-party opposition coalition, secured 44.88% votes. The third candidate, Sinan Ogan, received 5.17% of the votes.

Sinan Ogan withdrew his candidacy in the runoff elections and indicated his support for Erdogan turning the tide for the 69-year-old presidential candidate to secure a substantial majority, extending his rule into the third decade.

Erdogan’s AK Party has been in power since 2002. Erdogan became prime minister the following year and began serving as president in 2014.

Erdogan calls for ‘unity and solidarity’

“We are not the only winners; the winner is Turkey. The winner is all parts of our society, our democracy is the winner,” Erdogan said as he delivered a victory speech to thousands of his supporters outside the presidential complex in Ankara. He said that now is the time to “put aside all the debates and conflicts regarding the election period and unite around our national goals and dreams.”

Acknowledging that his next term in office would be faced with severe challenges, he said that the country’s high inflation rates are one of the most urgent issues. He promised that inflation would fall and vowed to build a stronger economy based on confidence and stability.

Bize yeni bir zafer daha yaşatan milletimiz var olsun. Türkiye Yüzyılı kutlu olsun. Büyük Türkiye zaferimiz hayırlı olsun. 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/SRzasZGvuZ

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) May 28, 2023

He also pledged the return of additional 1 million Syrian refugees, that have been residing in Turkey for more than a decade due to the ongoing civil war in Syria. “So far, we have facilitated the voluntary return of nearly 600,000 people to safe areas on Syrian territory,” he said. “Through a new resettlement project, we are carrying out with Qatar, we will ensure the return of 1 million more people in a few years.” More than 3.7 million Syrian refugees are currently residing in Turkey.

‘Century of Turkiye’

Delivering two speeches, one in Istanbul and the other in Ankara, Erdogan thanked the nation for re-electing him as president for another five years. “We hope to be worthy of your trust, as we have been for 21 years,” he told supporters on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul.

Erdogan described it as Turkey’s most important in the modern era. The president told his supporters that it was the country’s “most important” election in the modern era. “In one of the most important elections of our multi-party political history, our nation made its decision in favor of the ‘Century of Türkiye’,” Erdogan said. “We have to work day and night for our people,” he said. He added that rebuilding the destroyed cities and healing the wounds of the February 6 earthquake victims will continue to be the government’s top priority.

Erdogan supporters celebrate outside presidential palace.pic.twitter.com/UqehYJ0xx2

— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) May 28, 2023

He taunted his opponent, saying “bye bye bye, Kemal,” as his supporters booed. Meanwhile, the rival candidate Kilicdaroglu also spoke at his party headquarters and claimed that “This was the most unfair election period in our history.” He said he would continue to fight until there is “real democracy” in Turkey. Kilicdaroglu said what “truly makes me sad is the hard days ahead for our country.”

Challenges ahead

Turkey is in a grip of severe economic and geopolitical challenges. Whoever takes the Presidential office in Ankara would take the bull by the horns. Turkey’s currency has plummeted and prices have ballooned, prompting a cost-of-living crisis that has chipped away at Erdogan’s conservative, working-class support base.

Turkey also suffered from a vicious earthquake on February 6, that laid waste to large parts of the country’s southeast region, claiming at least 50,000 lives, largely due to unsafe buildings. Erdogan’s administration has been battling political aftershocks of the devastation of the earthquake while dealing with a crisis. His critics bashed him for a botched rescue effort and neglected building controls.

On the international front, Turkey has drawn considerable attention and concern in the West by continuing to maintain close ties with Russia against the backdrop of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, Turkey’s resistance to NATO’s expansion plans and delay in granting membership to Finland and Sweden have posed challenges for alliance leadership. In addition, Turkey’s approach to the ongoing Syrian crisis has further strained its relationship with the United States. The country now appears inclined to normalize its relations with the regime of Bashar Al Assad, backed by Russia and Iran.

World leaders congratulate Erdogan

NATO leaders were keenly observing Turkey’s pivotal elections as Erdogan faced the biggest challenge to his decades-long rule. With the second largest share of the army in NATO, Turkey is a key member of the alliance. But Ankara has been challenging its Western partners on several occasions, most recently by delaying Norway’s succession to the alliance and blocking Sweden altogether.

Despite Erdogan’s friction with his Western partners and his ties with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s NATO allies, including the U.S., Germany, France, and the UK were quick to congratulate President Erdogan on his win.

United States: U.S. President Joe Biden and the country’s top diplomat Antony Blinken sent their congratulation to Erdogan. “I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges,” Biden said in a tweet. Secretary Blinken also congratulated Erdogan and praised Turkey’s high turnout rate and the country’s “long democratic tradition.”

Russia: President Vladimir Putin released a statement from the Kremlin saying that “The election victory was a natural result of your selfless work as the head of the Republic of Turkey,” he said Erdogan’s victory was evidence that the Turkish people appreciated his” independent foreign policy”.

China: Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Erdogan on his re-election. China expressed hopes that “Turkey will continue to make new achievements in its development under the leadership of President Erdogan”.

Qatar: Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani congratulated Erdogan on his new term as the president of Turkey. He said “My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, congratulations on your victory. I wish you success in your new term, and that you achieve through it what the Turkish people aspire to in terms of progress and prosperity, and progress and growth for our strong bilateral relations.”

The Al Jaber twin towers in Doha, Qatar lit up with the Turkish flag, and also feature an image of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who leads in the runoff election in Türkiye pic.twitter.com/j7iIbM7TVD

— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) May 28, 2023

Germany: Germany has one of the largest populations of overseas Turkish citizens, which impacts greatly on domestic politics. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned the ties between the two countries are “deeply intertwined” with the people and economies of both countries, adding that “together we want to advance our common agenda with a fresh impetus!”

France: French President Emmanuel congratulated Erdogan and said that France and Turkey “will continue to move forward”. He wrote on Twitter that he looks forward to working together with Erdogan for the “return of peace to Europe” and the “future of our Euro-Atlantic Alliance,”

United Kingdom: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he looked forward to continuing the “strong collaboration” between the UK and Turkey including “tackling security threats as NATO allies”.

Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev was among the first to congratulate Erdogan in a phone call. He also invited Erdogan to visit Baku.

Pakistan: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a tweet that Erdogan’s re-election was a “historic” one. “He has been a pillar of strength for the oppressed Muslims & a fervent voice for their inalienable rights,” he said.

Turkish expats in Pakistan rejoice after President Erdogan’s runoff win pic.twitter.com/wHYOS1ABTz

— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) May 29, 2023

Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Erdogan on his victory hoping that “strengthening of the strategic partnership for the benefit of our countries, as well as the strengthening of cooperation for the security and stability of Europe”.

Sweden: Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson extended his wishes via Twitter, stressing that the two countries’ security “is a future priority.” Erdogan vetoed Sweden’s bid to join NATO, accusing Stockholm of harboring organizations that Ankara considers “terrorist” groups.

NATO: Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also took to Twitter to congratulate Erdogan on his election victory. “Congratulations President (Erdogan) on your re-election. I look forward to continuing our work together and preparing for the NATO summit in July,” he tweeted.

European Union: EU Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Erdogan on winning an election run-off.