Turkey: Erdogan claims victory in the presidential election

2023-05-28T17:50:39.441Z

Highlights: Erdoğan, in power for twenty years, obtains at this stage 52.3% of the vote, against 47.7% for his opponent, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Despite a strong desire for change on the part of part of the electorate, tired of the economic crisis, restrictions on freedoms and the hyper-presidentialisation of a power that has sent tens of thousands of opponents behind bars or in exile, the 69-year-old head of state came out with a five-point lead in the first round on 14th May.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday claimed victory in the second round of Turkey's presidential election. "Our nation has entrusted us with the responsibility of governing the country for the next five years," he said on the roof of a bus parked outside his Istanbul residence to which an enthusiastic crowd converged.