{"id":145978,"date":"2018-06-25T03:45:46","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T03:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/turkey-election-erdogan-wins-re-election-as-president\/"},"modified":"2018-06-25T03:45:46","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T03:45:46","slug":"turkey-election-erdogan-wins-re-election-as-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/turkey-election-erdogan-wins-re-election-as-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey election: Erdogan wins re-election as president"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure>                                  <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Erdogan supporters celebrate outside the AK party headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/105FC\/production\/_102186076_erdoganfans.jpg\"\/>Image copyright                  Getty Images<figcaption>Image caption                                      Supporters of President Erdogan took to Istanbul&#039;s streets to celebrate                              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"caps\">Turkey&#039;s long-standing leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the country&#039;s presidential poll in the first round, the election authority chief says.<\/p>\n<p>Sadi Guven said the president &quot;received the absolute majority of all valid votes&quot;, but gave no further details.<\/p>\n<p>State media reports put Mr Erdogan on 53% with 99% of votes counted, and his closest rival Muharrem Ince on 31%.<\/p>\n<p>The opposition is yet to officially concede but said it would continue its democratic fight &quot;whatever the result&quot;.<\/p>\n<p>It had earlier cast doubt on results being broadcast by state media. Final results will be announced on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The polls were the most fiercely-fought in many years, and Mr Erdogan is set to assume sweeping powers under a new executive presidency. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Turkey&#039;s elections in 100 and 500 words<\/li>\n<li>Erdogan: Turkey&#039;s pugnacious president<\/li>\n<li>Turks abroad play decisive role in Erdogan vote<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The 64-year-old gave a triumphant victory speech from the balcony of his party&#039;s headquarters in the capital Ankara at 03:00 (00:00 GMT), declaring: &quot;The winner of this election is each and every individual among my 81 million citizens.&quot;<\/p>\n<figure>                                                                                                       Image copyright                  AFP\/Getty Images<figcaption>Image caption                                      President Erdogan and his wife Emine greet supporters at his party&#039;s Ankara HQ                              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are reports that Republican People&#039;s Party (CHP) presidential candidate Mr Ince has admitted defeat in a message to a journalist, though this has not been confirmed. <\/p>\n<p>Earlier on Sunday he accused state-run news agency Anadolu of &quot;manipulation&quot; over its reporting of vote-share figures.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Ince tweeted that he would make a statement at 12:00 (09:00 GMT) on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>                           Skip Twitter post  by @selingirit                              <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>President #Erdogan heads to Ankara to give a balcony speech. Main challenger #Muharrem\u0130nce reportedly just conceded defeat via a WhatsApp message to a reporter, saying \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a fair race but I accept that Mr Erdogan has won,\u201d adding that he\u2019d make a statement tomorrow<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Selin Girit (@selingirit) June 24, 2018<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>              Report                          <\/p>\n<p>End of Twitter post  by @selingirit<\/p>\n<p>There were another four candidates on the presidential ballot, none of whom appears to have won more than 8.4% of the vote.<\/p>\n<h2>What does the result mean?<\/h2>\n<p>President Erdogan will assume major new powers under Turkey&#039;s new constitution. The changes were endorsed in a tight referendum last year by 51% of voters, and are due to come into force after the election.<\/p>\n<p>They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Directly appointing top public officials, including ministers and vice-presidents<\/li>\n<li>The power to intervene in the country&#039;s legal system<\/li>\n<li>The power to impose a state of emergency<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The job of prime minister will also be scrapped.<\/p>\n<p>Some critics argue the enhanced role will place too much power in one person&#039;s hands, and that Turkey&#039;s new system lacks the checks and balances of other executive presidencies like France or the US.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Erdogan maintains his increased authority will empower him to address Turkey&#039;s economic woes and defeat Kurdish rebels in the country&#039;s south-east.<\/p>\n<p>In his victory speech, he said Turkey would act more firmly against terrorist groups, and would continue to &quot;liberate Syrian lands&quot; so refugees can return to their homes there.<\/p>\n<figure>             <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/720x405\/p069dt8c.jpg\"\/>Media playback is unsupported on your device<figcaption>Media captionDoes it matter who&#039;s in charge of Turkey?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mr Erdogan was prime minister for 11 years before becoming president in 2014. Under the new constitution, he could stand for a third term when his second finishes in 2023, meaning he could potentially hold power until 2028.<\/p>\n<h2>Who won seats in Turkey&#039;s parliament?<\/h2>\n<p>Mr Erdogan said the governing alliance led by his AK Party (AKP) had secured a majority in the 600-member chamber. <\/p>\n<p>&quot;Turkey has given a lesson in democracy to the entire world,&quot; he said. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reality Check: The numbers behind Turkey&#039;s crackdown<\/li>\n<li>Losing their religion: The young Turks rejecting Islam<\/li>\n<li>Turkey country profile <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>State news agency Anadolu said the AKP itself had 42% of the votes for parliament with 99% counted, while its partner, the MHP, had 11%. It put the main opposition CHP on 23%.<\/p>\n<p>In a development that will please Kurdish voters, the pro-Kurdish HDP has exceeded the 10% threshold needed to enter parliament. With 67 seats, it will form the chamber&#039;s second-largest opposition faction.<\/p>\n<p>Fireworks lit up the sky in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir as results came in.<\/p>\n<figure>                                                                                                       Image copyright                  AFP<figcaption>Image caption                                      Kurds in Diyarbakir celebrated the HDP&#039;s result                              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The party&#039;s success comes despite the fact its presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtas is in a high-security prison on terror charges, which he firmly denies.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>WATCH: Why the Kurdish vote was key<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Was the voting free and fair?<\/h2>\n<p>Security was tight at polling stations. Ahead of the vote, concerns had been raised about potential voter intimidation and electoral fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Turkey&#039;s election commission has already said it will investigate alleged irregularities in Urfa province, on the southern border with Syria.<\/p>\n<p>Voter turnout was high at almost 87%, the state broadcaster reported.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reality Check: The numbers behind Turkey&#039;s crackdown<\/li>\n<li>Losing their religion: The young Turks rejecting Islam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Mr Ince had said he would spend the night at the electoral commission&#039;s headquarters in Ankara to ensure a fair count. In a tweet, he asked election observers not to leave the ballot boxes. <\/p>\n<figure>                                                                                                       Image copyright                  AFP<figcaption>Image caption                                      Muharrem Ince has raised concerns about the way vote-share figures were reported                              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rights activists have said the press is not free to report on all sides in Turkey. It has become the world&#039;s biggest jailer of journalists under Mr Erdogan&#039;s rule, according to monitoring groups.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Erdogan has already cautioned his rivals against claiming foul play, saying: &quot;I hope nobody will try to cast a shadow on the results and harm democracy in order to hide their own failure.&quot;<\/p>\n<h2>What were the election issues?<\/h2>\n<p>The biggest was the economy. The Turkish lira has tanked and inflation stands at around 11%. <\/p>\n<p>Terrorism was another key issue, as Turkey faces attacks from Kurdish militants and the jihadists of the Islamic State group. <\/p>\n<p>Mr Erdogan&#039;s rivals accused him of damaging civil liberties in Turkey and spearheading a slide into authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reality Check: The numbers behind Turkey&#039;s crackdown<\/li>\n<li>Losing their religion: The young Turks rejecting Islam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Turkey has been under a state of emergency since a failed coup in July 2016, with 107,000 public servants and soldiers dismissed from their jobs. More than 50,000 people have been imprisoned pending trial since the uprising.<\/p>\n<p>CHP candidate Mr Ince&#039;s fiery campaigning helped to revitalise Turkey&#039;s downtrodden opposition - but ultimately he lacked the numbers to end Mr Erdogan&#039;s dominance.<\/p>\n<p>BBC Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen tweeted: &quot;Yet again one half of #Turkey feels invincible, the other distraught.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>                           Skip Twitter post  by @marklowen                              <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The opposition dared to dream...but it seems it was not to be. Celebrations going on late at #AKP HQ in Istanbul. Two surprises: that #Ince couldn\u2019t capitalise on the momentum and that #MHP polled so high. Yet again one half of #Turkey that feels invincible, the other distraught.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Lowen (@marklowen) June 24, 2018<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>              Report                          <\/p>\n<p>End of Twitter post  by @marklowen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption Supporters of President Erdogan took to Istanbul&#039;s streets to celebrate Turkey&#039;s long-standing leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the country&#039;s presidential poll in the first<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":145979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}