Erdogan claims victory as rival slams ‘unfair’ election
Erdogan’s challenger has launched a fiery speech – condemning President Erdogan’s authoritarian government and what he called an unfair election.
“You should know that we will stand against those difficulties awaiting us,” he says.
What he didn’t do was admit defeat – even if the results are all heading in that direction.
He thanked the 25 million Turks who voted for him, to loud cheers in the auditorium. “Stand up, and walk proudly,” he said.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu has just taken the stage at opposition headquarters in Ankara.
Latest unofficial results suggest he’s four points behind Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential run-off with most votes counted.
*President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is claiming victory in the Turkish election, with counting ongoing, official results have him on around 52% of the vote. His secular rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, says the election was unfair, without explicitly admitting defeat. No candidate managed to secure 50% of votes in the first round, with Erdogan on 49.52% and Kilicdaroglu on 45%. Erdogan’s supporters are celebrating, and foreign leaders, including Vladimir Putin, have sent congratulations
Putin congratulates Erdogan on victory
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his apparent re-election, according to the Kremlin.
“The election victory was a natural result of your selfless work as the head of the Republic of Turkey, clear evidence of the support of the Turkish people for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and conduct an independent foreign policy,” Putin’s letter said.
Erdogan and Putin have been long-time allies, and Turkey has been more neutral on the Russian invasion of Ukraine compared to its Nato allies.
