Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been declared winner of the runoff vote held on May 28, 2023 by the Supreme Election Council.
Erdogan prevailed by winning 52.16% of the ballots cast whiles his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu got 47.84%.
In two speeches; one in Istanbul and one in Ankara, Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency for five more years.
“We hope to be worthy of your trust, as we have been for 21 years,” he told supporters. His victory did not stop him from ridiculing his challenger. He said, “bye bye bye, Kemal,” as supporters booed.
“The only winner today is Turkey,” Erdogan 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.”
Kilicdaroglu, who campaigned on promises to reverse Erdogan’s democratic backsliding, to restore the economy by reverting to more conventional policies, and to improve ties with the West, said the election was “the most unjust ever,” with all state resources mobilized for Erdogan.
“We will continue to be at the forefront of this struggle until real democracy comes to our country,” he said in Ankara. He thanked the more than 25 million people who voted for him and asked them to “remain upright.”
The people have shown their will “to change an authoritarian government despite all the pressures,” he said.
World Leaders Congratulate Erdogan On His Reelection
A number of world leaders have congratulated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his win.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that 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.”
Vladimir Putin, Russian President
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine congratulated Erdogan on his victory and said he hoped for a “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”.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Erdogan, noting that, France and Turkey “will continue to move forward”.
In congratulating Erdogan, Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted how “deeply intertwined” the people and economies of both countries are, adding that “together we want to advance our common agenda with a fresh impetus!”
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wished Erdogan a “good term with a lot of work” for the Turkish people.
Lula noted on Twitter that Erdogan can “count on Brazil’s partnership in global cooperation for peace, in the fight against poverty and for the development of the world.”
Moreover, EU Council President, Charles Michel and the Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Erdogan on winning an election runoff on Sunday.
“Congratulations @RTErdogan for your reelection as President of Türkiye. I look forward to working with you again to deepen EU-TR relations in the years to come,” Michel said in a tweet.
Von der Leyen also tweeted her congratulations.
“I look forward to continue building the EU-Türkiye relationship. It is of strategic importance for both the EU and Türkiye to work on advancing this relationship, for the benefit of our people,” she said in a tweet.
