Erdogan strikes combative tone in victory speech

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has addressed thousands of supporters in Ankara after being declared the victor in Turkey’s presidential election, saying democracy was the winner and that Turkey was “an example for the rest of the world”, reports The Guardian from Ankara.

“We have received the message that has been given to us in the ballot boxes,” he said, speaking from the balcony of the AK party’s headquarters in Ankara, to a large crowd of cheering and flag-waving supporters. “We will fight even more with the strength you provided us with this election.”

He began by apologising for being late to the balcony speech, saying this was due to the fact that a small child was injured in the crowd in Istanbul, where he had been speaking before, and he went to speak to the child’s family. Erdogan spoke of his commitment to “fight terroristic organisations”, “to continue the fight to make the Syrian grounds freer” and to increase the “international prestige” of Turkey, saying: “Turkey has no moment to waste, we know that.”

“Our flag will flutter more freely, the peace of every citizen will be advanced,” he said, before leading the crowd in a chant of “One nation, one flag, one country, one state.”

Earlier on Sunday night, the country’s electoral board said the incumbent had won with 97.7 per cent of votes counted. Even before this declaration, Erdogan seemed sure of the result.

“Our people have given us the job of carrying out the presidential and executive posts,” Erdogan said on Sunday night, even while ballots were still being tallied. “I hope nobody will damage democracy by casting a shadow on this election and its results to hide their failure.”

The main opposition party did not immediately concede defeat, but after initially saying Erdogan would fall well short of a first-round victory, it later said it would continue its democratic struggle “whatever the result”.

The official Anadolu Agency reported that, with 99 per cent of votes counted, Erdogan had won a 52.54 per cent share of the national vote, while the opposition CHP party’s candidate, Muharrem Ince, was on 30.68 per cent.

The pro-Kurdish party, known as the HDP, took 11.67 per cent of the vote, passing the 10 per cent threshold to enter parliament for a second consecutive term. This diluted the majority of Erdogan ’s ruling party, the AKP, but fell short of the numbers needed to overturn that majority after a surprise showing by the AKP’s nationalist allies.

“This sets the stage for speeding up reforms,” the Turkish deputy prime minister, Mehmet Simsek, tweeted of the results.

The winner of the presidential race is set to assume extraordinary new powers narrowly approved in a referendum last year that was marred by allegations of fraud. These include complete control of the cabinet and the power to appoint senior judges and officials, including unelected vice-presidents. The president will also have the power to issue decrees with the force of law.

Those powers will allow the victor to transform Turkey’s political scene for years and possibly decades to come, governing until 2028 if he wins re-election. Opposition candidates had pledged to overturn the presidential system if they had won.

The results, if they stand, will be a disappointment to the opposition, which had hoped to push Erdogan into a second-round runoff against Ince, and to wrest control of the legislature from the AKP. Erdogan and his party have governed unopposed for 16 years.

The president called early the snap elections in April hoping to preempt worsening economic trends and to catch the opposition by surprise. He looked set to win easily in a presidential race and in parliament in alliance with the nationalists, projecting an image of a commander-in-chief fighting external enemies inside Turkey and across the border in Syria, and triumphant against terror groups.

Erdogan strikes combative tone in victory speech

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has addressed thousands of supporters in Ankara after being declared the victor in Turkeys presidential election, saying democracy was the winner and that Turkey was an example for the rest of the world, reports The Guardian from Ankara. We have received the message that has been given to us in the ballot boxes, he said, speaking from the balcony of the AK partys headquarters in Ankara, to a large crowd of cheering and flag-waving supporters. We will fight even more with the strength you provided us with this election. He began by apologising for being late to the balcony speech, saying this was due to the fact that a small child was injured in the crowd in Istanbul, where he had been speaking before, and he went to speak to the childs family. Erdogan spoke of his commitment to fight terroristic organisations, to continue the fight to make the Syrian grounds freer and to increase the international prestige of Turkey, saying: Turkey has no moment to waste, we know that. Our flag will flutter more freely, the peace of every citizen will be advanced, he said, before leading the crowd in a chant of One nation, one flag, one country, one state. Earlier on Sunday night, the countrys electoral board said the incumbent had won with 97.7 per cent of votes counted. Even before this declaration, Erdogan seemed sure of the result. Our people have given us the job of carrying out the presidential and executive posts, Erdogan said on Sunday night, even while ballots were still being tallied. I hope nobody will damage democracy by casting a shadow on this election and its results to hide their failure. The main opposition party did not immediately concede defeat, but after initially saying Erdogan would fall well short of a first-round victory, it later said it would continue its democratic struggle whatever the result. The official Anadolu Agency reported that, with 99 per cent of votes counted, Erdogan had won a 52.54 per cent share of the national vote, while the opposition CHP partys candidate, Muharrem Ince, was on 30.68 per cent. The pro-Kurdish party, known as the HDP, took 11.67 per cent of the vote, passing the 10 per cent threshold to enter parliament for a second consecutive term. This diluted the majority of Erdogan s ruling party, the AKP, but fell short of the numbers needed to overturn that majority after a surprise showing by the AKPs nationalist allies. This sets the stage for speeding up reforms, the Turkish deputy prime minister, Mehmet Simsek, tweeted of the results. The winner of the presidential race is set to assume extraordinary new powers narrowly approved in a referendum last year that was marred by allegations of fraud. These include complete control of the cabinet and the power to appoint senior judges and officials, including unelected vice-presidents. The president will also have the power to issue decrees with the force of law. Those powers will allow the victor to transform Turkeys political scene for years and possibly decades to come, governing until 2028 if he wins re-election. Opposition candidates had pledged to overturn the presidential system if they had won. The results, if they stand, will be a disappointment to the opposition, which had hoped to push Erdogan into a second-round runoff against Ince, and to wrest control of the legislature from the AKP. Erdogan and his party have governed unopposed for 16 years. The president called early the snap elections in April hoping to preempt worsening economic trends and to catch the opposition by surprise. He looked set to win easily in a presidential race and in parliament in alliance with the nationalists, projecting an image of a commander-in-chief fighting external enemies inside Turkey and across the border in Syria, and triumphant against terror groups.