Turkey’s incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared victory in his country's runoff election, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade.
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade in a country reeling from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that leveled entire cities.
With a third term, Erdogan will have an even stronger hand domestically and internationally, and the election results will have implications far beyond Ankara. Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it plays a key role in NATO. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Erdogan via Twitter for an “unquestionable election victory,” and Qatar’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani wished the Turkish president success in a tweet. Other congratulations poured in from Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Libya, Algeria, Serbia and Uzbekistan.Critics blame Erdogan’s unconventional economic policies for skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis.
Erdogan, 69, could remain in power until 2028. A devout Muslim, he heads the conservative and religious Justice and Development Party, or AKP. Erdogan transformed the presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office through a narrowly won 2017 referendum that scrapped Turkey’s parliamentary system of governance. He was the first directly elected president in 2014, and won the 2018 election that ushered in the executive presidency.
The defeat for Kilicdaroglu adds to a long list of electoral losses to Erdogan, and puts pressure on him to step down as party chairman.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Claims Re-Election VictoryTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed to have won re-election, according to reports from Turkish news agencies. The win would extend Erdogan’s 20-year tenure as the country’s leader.
Read more »
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Wins Re-ElectionTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won re-election, according to unofficial reports from Turkish news agencies. The country’s electoral commission has not announced a victor yet.
Read more »
Erdogan takes lead in unofficial count in Turkey’s presidential runoffPreliminary, unofficial results from Turkish news agencies showed incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead with 88% of ballot boxes counted in a presidential runoff that will decide whether the country’s longtime leader stretches his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade. The state Anadolu news agency showed Erdogan at 53%, and his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, at 47%. Meanwhile, the ANKA news agency, close to the opposition, showed the results at 51% for Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu at 49%.The outcome could have implications far beyond Ankara. Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it plays a key role in NATO.
Read more »
With a likely Erdogan win, Turkey will continue to play both sides of the U.S.-Russia divideTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has courted Russia while serving as a stalwart in the Western NATO alliance -- to U.S. chagrin.
Read more »
All of Türkiye's 85M citizens will be winners on May 28: ErdoganTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes the remarks at a rally in Istanbul ahead of a runoff vote on Sunday to elect the country's president.
Read more »