ISTANBUL(AP) – President Tayyip Erdogan and supporters celeberates in an election victory lengthening his rule into a third decade while Turkey’s opposition, which once counted on winning, braced for “difficult days” against an increasingly autocratic government.
His rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu said it was “the most unfair election in years” but did not dispute the outcome, which gave Erdogan a mandate to pursue policies that have polarised Turkey and strengthened its position as a regional military power.
The election had been seen as Erdogan’s biggest political challenge, with the opposition confident of unseating him and reversing his policies after polls showed a cost-of-living crisis left him vulnerable.
But he prevailed with 52.2% of the vote to Kilicdaroglu’s 47.8%. It reinforced Erdogan’s image of invincibility in the deeply divided NATO-member country, whose foreign, economic and security policy he has redrawn. Advertising · Scroll to continue
Pro-government newspapers, largely part of the pro-Erdogan media that fueled Erdogan’s election campaign in the country of 85 million people, hailed his victory.
“This is a good result because Tayyip Erdogan is a good leader and knows what the people want. If people vote for him for 20 years, he is a successful leader. It must be,” said Altay Sahin, a construction worker in Istanbul.
President Erdogan addressed his supporters in his victory speech, declaring democracy the victor. “Now is the time to put aside the legislative disputes and conflicts and unite for national goals,” he said. But the prospect of Erdogan reigning for another five years was a crushing blow to the opposition. Opposition parties have accused Erdogan of undermining his democracy while continuing to rise to power, an accusation he has denied. Kirikudaroguru promised that if he won, a new “spring” would come.
“Everyone is upset when they see people around them who have supported the opposition,” said lawyer Furuya Yildirim. “We forget spring in this country. People seem happy with winter, so we have to create our own spring.”
The lira fell to a record low of 20.08 against the dollar. It has lost 90% of its value over the past decade due to currency crises and rampant inflation. The recent loss was due to uncertainty about what Erdogan’s victory would mean for economic policy. Critics have blamed the currency crisis on his unusually low-interest economic plan, which the opposition had promised to back out.
Erdogan said inflation was Turkey’s most pressing problem last year, reaching a 24-year high of 85% before easing.
Erdogan’s performance wrong-footed opponents who thought voters would punish him over the state’s initially slow response to earthquakes in February, in which over 50,000 people died. However, in the first round of elections on May 14, including the general election, the AK Party led by him came out on top in 10 out of the 11 provinces affected by the earthquake, and won parliamentary majority along with allied nations.
