Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a re-election on May 28, extending his rule into a third decade.
With more than 99 percent of ballot boxes opened, unofficial results from competing news agencies showed Erdogan with 52 percent of the vote, compared with 48 percent for his opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The head of Turkey’s electoral board confirmed the victory, saying that even after accounting for outstanding votes, the term belongs to Erdogan.
The leader thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency for five more years. “The only winner today is Turkey,” he said, promising to work hard for Turkey’s second century. The country marks its centennial this year. “No one can look down on our nation.”
Erdogan has now been at Turkey’s helm for 20 years. He came just short of victory in the first round of elections on May 14 – the first time he failed to win an election outright – but he regained the feat on Sunday. His victory came despite inflation and aftereffects of a devastating earthquake three months ago.
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and other world leaders, including Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and leaders of Qatar, Venezuela, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Libya, Algeria, Serbia and Uzbekistan, congratulated Erdogan on the victory.
