The "Sultan" Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed as president in Türkiye.
The outgoing head of state won the presidential elections with 52.1% of the ballot preferences against challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who obtained 47.9% of the votes. This is stated by the data of the Turkish state TV Trt, not yet officially confirmed by the Turkish electoral council Ysk, with over 98% of ballots scrutinized.
In this way, the Turkish leader secures power for another 5 years, until 2028, after having won all the direct elections for the renewal of the presidency in Turkey.
Erdogan spoke to his supporters atop a bus, thanking them: “Every single member of the nation has once again handed us the responsibility to govern Turkey for the next five years. God willing, we will deserve your trust."
The turnout exceeded 85%, in the first round it was over 90%.
Erdogan gave 200 Turkish lira banknotes (just under 10 euros) and toys to children he met at the polling station where he went to vote this morning in Uskudar, on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. Also on the occasion of the first round of the presidential elections, on May 14, Erdogan had given money to children when he went to vote.
After voting in Ankara, the opposition candidate launched a heartfelt appeal: "I invite all citizens to go to the polls to free us from an authoritarian regime and for the arrival of freedom and democracy".
Erdogan has been Turkish president since 2014. Until then, starting in 2003, he had been the country's prime minister.
(Unioneonline/L)