Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday won a mandate to rule until 2028, securing five more years as leader of a country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia that plays a key role in NATO. Leaders across the world, including from Taiwan, sent their congratulations.
He must now confront skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis, and rebuild in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people.
Erdogan secured more than 52 percent of the vote in the presidential runoff, two weeks after he fell short of scoring an outright victory in the first round.
Photo: Reuters
His opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, had sought to reverse Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian leanings, promising to return to democratic norms, adopt more conventional economic policies and improve ties with the West. However, in the end, voters chose the man they see as a strong, proven leader.
Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency again in two speeches he delivered in Istanbul and Ankara.
“The only winner today is Turkey,” Erdogan said outside the presidential palace in Ankara, promising to work hard for Turkey’s second century, which he called the “Turkish century.”
The country marks its centennial this year.
Kilicdaroglu 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.
Supporters of Erdogan, a divisive populist and masterful orator, took to the streets to celebrate, waving Turkish or ruling party flags, honking car horns and chanting his name. Celebratory gunfire was heard in several Istanbul neighborhoods.
Western politicians said they are ready to continue working with Erdogan, despite years of sometimes tense relations. Most imminently, Turkey holds the cards for Sweden’s hopes to join NATO. The bid aims to strengthen the military alliance against Russia. Turkey is also central to the continuity of a deal to allow Ukrainian grain shipments and avert a global food crisis.
US President Biden said he hoped to work with Erdogan on “shared global challenges.”
“I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges,” Biden wrote on Twitter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has collaborated closely with Erdogan on key international issues, despite some disagreements, told Erdogan his win was “the logical result of your dedicated work.”
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan’s representative office in Turkey has issued a congratulatory message to Erdogan.
The government looks forward to deepening relations with Turkey on various fronts in the years to come, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Anthony Ho (賀忠義) said in a message to Erdogan via Turkish Representative to Taiwan Muhammed Berdibek.
The two nations have signed more than a dozen memorandums of understanding on investments, agriculture, technology, police affairs, auditing, international assistance and cooperation, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, the ministry said.
Taiwan was also one of the first countries to dispatch a team to search for survivors after a magnitude 7.8 struck southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria on Feb. 6, it said.
The government and the private sector worked together to raise more than US$43 million, as well as about 415 tonnes of relief materials, to help victims displace by the earthquake and in the reconstruction of Turkey, the ministry said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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