May 14, 2023
President Erdoğan gets 49.5% votes Turkish elections
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Contrary to the mainstream Western media predictions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dominated the polls in presidential elections on Sunday, according to unofficial results. With 98.7 percent votes counted, Erdoğan had 49.5% of the vote, according to Anadolu News Agency. His closest competitor Kemal Kilicdaroglu got 45 percent votes.
Erdogan received 26,624,453 votes while Kilicdaroglu got 24,280,977 votes, meaning that Erdogan has a lead of two million voters over his rival.
Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) also secured a high number of seats in the simultaneous parliamentary polls.
Addressing his supporters after midnight at the AK Party headquarters in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan said they were waiting for the "outcome of the national will," but they had a "clear lead, though unofficial results have been announced." "Türkiye has proven once again that it is among world's leading democracies with its commitment to superiority of national will, freedom of its citizens in their political choices," he added.
"We believe that we will win this election with more than 50% of the votes," Erdoğan also said.
If Erdoğan and his main rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, did not secure more than 50% of the vote, then a runoff vote will be held on May 28.
“We will absolutely win the second round… and bring democracy,” Kilicdaroglu, 74, the candidate of a six-party alliance said, arguing that Erdogan had lost the trust of a nation now demanding change.
"We have 2.6 million more votes than our closest rival and I believe this will be far higher. We don't know if it is going to a runoff, but we will gladly accept it if our nation decided for a runoff; yet, we believe it will end in the first round," Erdogan said.
"Not having official results does not change the fact that we have a clear lead. Those who have seen the elections will tell the future generations the political climate Türkiye went through to reach the 'Century of Türkiye,'" he said, referring to his ambitious vision for a series of reforms and economic development. "They will see this as a saga of the nation's will," he said.
Underlining that he expected his alliance's lead to widen when the final results were released, Erdogan said he had around 2.6 million more votes than his closest competitor Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and joint candidate for the six-party opposition Nation Alliance.
Underscoring the large turnout in the elections, Erdogan said the figure was "one of the highest in our history."
"I would like to express my gratitude to each of my citizens who went to the polls with a record turnout and reflected their preferences for the future of their country and themselves," he said.
More than 64 million people, including 3.4 million overseas voters, were eligible to vote in the elections, which come the same year as the country will mark the centenary of its establishment as a republic — a modern, secular state born on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.
A total of 191,885 ballot boxes were set up for voters in the country. Every voter cast two ballots, one for the president and the other for lawmakers, who will serve five-year terms.
Over 30 political parties and 150 independent parliamentary candidates competed in the elections.
According to New York Times:
“Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey are shaping up to be a referendum on the long tenure of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — the country’s dominant politician over the last two decades.
“Mr. Erdogan, 69, has led Turkey since 2003, when he became prime minister. At the start, he was widely hailed as an Islamist democrat who promised to make the predominately Muslim country and NATO member a bridge between the Muslim world and the West. But more recently, critics have accused him of pushing Turkey toward one-man rule and exacerbating a deep economic crisis.
“The elections will set the future course for Turkey, which is one of the world’s 20 largest economies and a NATO ally of the United States.
“The election could also affect Turkey’s geopolitical position. The country’s relations with the United States and other NATO allies have been strained as Mr. Erdogan has strengthened ties with Russia, even after its invasion of Ukraine last year, and hampered the alliance’s efforts to expand.”
Hürriyet Daily News – May 15, 2023
People’s Alliance gains majority in Turkish parliament
The unofficial results of the parliamentary election on May 14 showed that the People’s Alliance - formed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the New Welfare Party (YRP) and the Great Union Party (BBP) - garnered the most lawmakers in the parliament.
The AKP received 269 seats (35 percent), and the MHP gained 51 lawmakers (10.4 percent), while the YRP had five MPs in the 600-seat legislature, according to the preliminary results when 92 percent of the ballot boxes were counted.
Winning 325 seats, the People’s Alliance achieved the majority among the three alliances formed for the parliamentary polls.
The Nation Alliance - made up of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the İYİ (Good) Party, the Felicity Party, the Democracy and Progressive Party (DEVA), the Future Party, and the Democrat Party (DP) - had 213 lawmakers with CHP gaining 168 lawmakers (24.8 percent) and İYİ Party earning 45 seats (9.9 percent).
Under the Labor and Freedom Alliance, the Green Left Party (YSP) gained 60 seats (8.5 percent), while the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) had two lawmakers (1.2 percent).
The Nation Alliance pledged to introduce a “strengthened parliamentary system,” but it seems they will not be able to secure 360 seats needed to bring about a referendum on ending the current executive presidency.
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/peoples-alliance-gains-majority-in-parliament-183147
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
