Macron 'congratulates' Erdogan on his re-election and projects on 'challenges to be met together'

Europe 1 with AFP 22:01 p.m., May 28, 2023

Emmanuel Macron congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election as president of Turkey on Sunday, saying that "France and Turkey have immense challenges to face together". Among these "challenges", the French president cites, on Twitter, the "return of peace in Europe, the future of our Euro-Atlantic Alliance, the Mediterranean Sea". "With President Erdogan, whom I congratulate, we will continue to move forward," the head of state added.

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52.1% of the vote

The Russian president also congratulated the Turkish head of state, referring to a "logical result" that provides "clear proof" of the population's support for his policy. "Your victory in these elections is the logical result of your dedicated work at the head of the Turkish Republic, a clear proof of the Turkish people's support for your efforts to strengthen the sovereignty of the state and conduct an independent foreign policy," Putin said, according to statements published on the Kremlin website.

According to the results of more than 98% of the ballots, published by the official Turkish agency Anadolu, Recep Tayyip Erdogan won 52.1% of the vote against 47.9% for his Social Democratic rival Kemal Kiliçdaroglu. At 74, the latter has lost the bet of alternation and "peaceful democracy" that he promised.

Two visions of the country, society and governance were offered to the 60 million voters of Turkey (the diaspora has already voted) called to the polls on Sunday. Stability, at the risk of autocracy with the outgoing hyper-president, 69-year-old Islamo-conservative, or the return to a peaceful democracy, according to his words, with his opponent, a former civil servant.