Hannah Walton-Hughes
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was announced the winner of Turkey’s Presidential election on May 28, securing just over 52% of the vote.
Continuing a 20-year reign
Erdoğan continues his 20-year reign, having held the top political positions in Turkey for the last two decades. He was prime minister from 2003 until 2014 and then assumed the presidential position in 2014. He has remained in the role to this day.
This ‘run-off’ election came about because neither presidential candidate had managed to obtain over 50% of the vote in the first round in May. Erdoğan’s rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of the CHP party, secured just under 48% of the vote. There was a difference of over 2 million votes between them
“It is our democracy that has won this election.”
In Erdoğan’s victory speech at the Presidential Palace, he said: “It is our democracy who won this election.”
“We are not the only winners, the winner is Turkey. The winner is our nation with all its segments, our democracy is the winner.”
“Now is the time to put aside all the debates and conflicts regarding the election period and unite around our national goals and dreams. We make this call with all our heart.”
In the speech, he stressed the importance of tackling inflation and helping the country heal from earthquakes earlier in the year. This is despite being criticised for his response to earthquakes, as well as his handling of the economy.
He also says he aims to re-settle one million Syrian refugees, who are currently in Turkey, back into safe areas in their country.
‘Hard days ahead for our country’
Following his defeat, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s promised to continue to fight for “real democracy” and expressed sadness for the “hard days ahead for [Turkey] our country.”
“Erdoğan accused Kilicdaroglu of being in cahoots with Kurdish terror groups.”
He said that during the election the desire to dispose of an “authoritarian government” had been clear. He did not admit absolute defeat, describing the election period as “unfair”. There have been suggestions that Erdoğan increased support by hurling unfounded claims at his opponents.
In the past, Erdoğan accused Kılıçdaroğlu of being in cahoots with a Kurdish terror group. Meanwhile, Erdoğan‘s opponents have expressed that Erdoğan‘s control over state resources and the country’s media has helped him gain votes.
Global Perceptions
Global leaders have chimed in, congratulating Erdoğan on his success. The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak tweeted his desire to continue working with Turkey as a NATO ally, by tackling ‘security threats’, as well as working collaboratively on growing trade.
Congratulations to @RTErdogan. I look forward to continuing the strong collaboration between our countries, from growing trade to tackling security threats as NATO allies.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) May 28, 2023
The US President, Jo Biden, echoed a similar message, commenting: “I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges.”
Vladimir Putin also extended congratulations according to Reuters. He stated: “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.”
“The relationship between Putin and Erdoğan has been described as special.”
Throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkey’s President has acted as a go-between between Moscow and Kyiv. The country has had complex, and perhaps contradicting, relations with both Russia and Ukraine in the midst of the Ukraine War.
Erdoğan himself has described his relationship with Putin as “special”. Trade has significantly increased between Russia and Turkey since the start of the Ukraine war, despite Turkey’s NATO membership and military alliance, as well as the military aid they have given to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “We count on the further strengthening of the strategic partnership for the good of our countries, as well as the strengthening of cooperation for the security and stability of Europe.”
Erdoğan will now serve as President for a further five years, his third term in office.
Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image license found here.
hwaltonh13
I am an aspiring political journalist, and am passionate about writing and reporting on local, national, and international news. Currently, I am a second year Undergraduate student studying English with Creative Writing at the University of Nottingham. I am a regular contributor to the News, Features, Reviews and Entertainment sections of the University's magazine, Impact, where I also hold the position of Head of the Reviews section. I am a member of the News team at University Radio Nottingham, where I am a panelist on the weekly News and Political shows, as well as partaking in reporting. Previous work experience includes a week's placement at Your LocalLink Magazine in York, in addition to shadowing MP Jason McCartney in Parliament. See my LinkedIn page for more. Over lockdown, I appeared on BBC Radio York during York, discussing my Creative Writing.