Turkey: Erdogan re-elected President after unprecedented 2nd-round election

Recep Tayyip Erdogan won another term as the President of Turkey on May 28, 2023, after an unprecedented presidential runoff election.

Erdogan's challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu trailed him by over 20 lakh votes while counting was underway on the night of May 28. Erdogan, who has been accused of an increasingly authoritarian rule, now faces hurdles like high inflation and recovery from a devastating earthquake.

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 on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul in his first comments after the results emerged.

He ridiculed his challenger for his loss, saying “bye bye bye, Kemal,” as supporters booed. While saying that the divisions of the elections were now over, he continued to rail against his opponent as well as the former co-leader of the pro-Kurdish party who has been imprisoned for years over alleged links to terrorism.

(With PTI inputs)