Key Points
- President Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory in Turkey's presidential election, securing a third decade of rule.
- Official results are yet to be released, but Erdogan's opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has not responded to the victory speech.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders from the Middle East congratulated President Erdogan.
President Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory in Türkiye's presidential election, a win that would steer his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade after he saw off his toughest political challenge yet.
Addressing supporters from on top of a bus in Istanbul, Mr Erdogan thanked people for voting and said Turks had given him the responsibility of governing for the next five years.
"The only winner is Türkiye," he said.
Final official results have yet to be released.
There was no immediate response to Mr Erdogan's victory speech from his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who had the backing of a six-party opposition alliance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered congratulations to Mr Erdogan. The presidents of Iran and Algeria and the Emir of Qatar were among leaders to congratulate him in the Middle East, where he has asserted Turkish influence, at times with military power.
The election had been seen as one of the most consequential yet for Türkiye, with the opposition believing it had a strong chance of unseating Mr Erdogan after his popularity was hit by a cost-of-living crisis.
Instead, victory will reinforce his image of invincibility, after having already redrawn domestic, economic, security and foreign policy in the NATO member country of 85 million people and positioned Türkiye as a regional power.
Supporters gathered at his Istanbul residence in anticipation of victory as data reported by both the state-run Anadolu agency and the opposition ANKA news agency gave him the edge with nearly 99 per cent of ballot boxes counted.
The head of the High Election Board earlier told a news conference that Mr Erdogan was leading Mr Kilicdaroglu with 53.41 per cent support, with 75.42 per cent of ballot boxes logged.
Mr Erdogan, head of the Islamist-rooted AK Party, appealed to voters with nationalist and conservative rhetoric during a divisive campaign that deflected attention from deep economic troubles.
The defeat of Mr Kilicdaroglu, who promised to set the country on a more democratic and collaborative path, would likely be mourned in Western capitals which have been alarmed by his ties to Russia.
Across the Middle East, the prospect of five more years of Mr Erdogan does not appear to be prompting the alarm it might once have after he reached accommodations with several of the governments with which he had been at odds.
Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), waves to his supporters. Source: AAP / Sedat Suna
"I expect everything to become better," said Nisa, 28, a headscarved woman wearing a headband with Mr Erdogan's name.
Another Erdogan supporter said Türkiye would get stronger with him in office for five more years.
"There are issues, problems in every country around the world, in European countries as well ... With strong leadership we will overcome Türkiye's problems as well," said the supporter who gave his name as Mert, 39, as he celebrated with his son.
Bugra Oztug, 24, who voted for Mr Kilicdaroglu, blamed the opposition for failing to change. "I feel sad and disappointed but I am not hopeless. I still think there are people who can see the realities and truth," Mr Oztug said.
Mr Erdogan's performance has wrong-footed opponents who thought voters would punish him over the state's initially slow response to devastating earthquakes in February, in which more than 50,000 people died.
But in the first round of voting on 14 May, which included parliamentary elections, his AK Party emerged top in 10 of the 11 provinces hit by the earthquakes, helping it to secure a parliamentary majority along with its allies.
A ballot card at a polling station in Arjantin Primary School during a runoff between incumbent president Erdogan of People's Alliance AKP and Kilicdaroglu of Nation Alliance CHP in the 2023 Turkish presidential election. Source: AAP / Valery Sharifulin
Economic policy in focus
Emre Erdogan, a political science professor at Istanbul's Bilgi University, attributed Mr Erdogan's success to his supporters' belief "in his ability to solve problems, even though he created many of them".
Mr Erdogan had also maintained the support of conservative voters who long felt marginalised by the secular elites that used to dominate Türkiye. "This era will be characterised by a decline in political and civil liberties, polarisation, and cultural fights between two political tribes," he said.
Mr Erdogan appeared to have prevailed despite several years of economic turmoil which critics blame on unorthodox economic policies which the opposition had pledged to reverse.
Uncertainty about what an Erdogan win will mean for economic policy pushed the lira to record lows last week.
Reuters reported last week that there is disagreement and uncertainty within Mr Erdogan's government over whether to stick with what some call an unsustainable economic program or to abandon it.
Critics had declared the vote a test of whether such an autocratic leader could be peacefully removed.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to vote at a polling station during the second round of the presidential election in Istanbul. Source: AAP / Murad Sezer
Mr Kilicdaroglu, who ran a mostly inclusive campaign in the face of attacks from Mr Erdogan, had promised to reset governance, restore human rights, and return independence to the courts and central bank after they were sidelined over the last decade.
After his ruling alliance won a comfortable majority in parliament in the 14 May vote, Mr Erdogan had warned that a diverse opposition alliance of six parties would struggle to govern and he would continue his strong leadership in a new five-year term as president.
