May 29
By Chriss Askew
All eyes were on NATO member Turkey ahead of its pivotal poll as Erdogan fended off the biggest challenge to his rule.
World leaders have congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won re-election in a historic run-off that posed the biggest challenge to his 20 years in power.
Erdogan won Turkey’s presidency with 52.14 percent of the votes, said the head of the Supreme Election Council, Ahmet Yener, on Sunday, making the results official.
With 99.43 percent of ballot boxes opened, Erdogan’s rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 47.86 percent of votes, Yener said. With a gap of more than two million votes between candidates, the rest of the uncounted ballots will not change the result, he added.
The elections, in which more than 64 million Turks at home and abroad were entitled to vote, took place against a background of a cost-of-living crisis that saw inflation peak at 85 percent in October and earthquakes in February that killed more than 50,000 people.
Erdogan, 69, who came to power in 2003, initially as prime minister, offered a vision of further development, promising to extend the improvements made by his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government.
NATO member Turkey’s longest-serving leader was tested like never before in what was widely seen as the country’s most consequential election in its 100-year history as a post-Ottoman republic.
Without formally conceding defeat, Kilicdaroglu said: “My real sadness is about the difficulties awaiting the country.”
Here are some of the reactions from other countries and organisations:
United Nations
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has congratulated Erdogan on his reelection as president.
“He looks forward to further strengthening the cooperation between Türkiye and the United Nations,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
United States
United States’ President Joe Biden and top diplomat Antony Blinken have sent their congratulations to Erdogan for his victory.
“I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges,” Biden said in a tweet.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Turkey “a valued @NATO Ally and partner.”
“I look forward to our continued work together with the government chosen by the Turkish people,” he said.
Blinken also praised Sunday’s high turnout rate and the country’s “long democratic tradition.”
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Erdogan’s victory was evidence that the Turkish people appreciated his “selfless work” and independent foreign policy.
“The election victory was a natural result of your selfless work as the head of the Republic of Turkey, clear evidence of the support of the Turkish people for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and conduct an independent foreign policy,” Putin said in a message to Erdogan, according to the Kremlin.
“We highly appreciate your personal contribution to the strengthening of friendly Russian-Turkish relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas,” Putin said.
NATO
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.