Turkey’s Erdogan faces economic, earthquake recovery test after re-election – National | 24CA News
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a mandate to rule till 2028, securing 5 extra years as chief of a rustic on the crossroads of Europe and Asia that performs a key position in NATO. He should now confront skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living disaster and rebuild within the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed greater than 50,000 folks.
Erdogan secured greater than 52% of the vote in Sunday’s presidential runoff, two weeks after he fell in need of scoring an outright victory within the first spherical. His opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, had sought to reverse Erdogan’s more and more authoritarian leanings, promising to return to democratic norms, undertake extra standard financial insurance policies and enhance ties with the West. But ultimately, voters selected the person they see as a powerful, confirmed chief.
Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency once more in two speeches he delivered in Istanbul and Ankara.
“The only winner today is Turkey,” Erdogan stated exterior the presidential palace in Ankara, promising to work arduous for Turkey’s second century, which he known as the “Turkish century.” The nation marks its centennial this 12 months.
Kilicdaroglu stated the election was “the most unjust ever,” with all state assets mobilized for Erdogan.
“We will continue to be at the forefront of this struggle until real democracy comes to our country,” he stated in Ankara.
Supporters of Erdogan, a divisive populist and masterful orator, took to the streets to rejoice, waving Turkish or ruling social gathering flags, honking automotive horns and chanting his identify. Celebratory gunfire was heard in a number of Istanbul neighborhoods.
Leaders the world over despatched their congratulations, highlighting Turkey’s, and Erdogan’s, enlarged position in world politics. His subsequent time period is definite to incorporate extra delicate maneuvering with fellow NATO members over the way forward for the alliance and the conflict in Ukraine.
Western politicians stated they’re able to proceed working with Erdogan regardless of years of generally tense relations. Most imminently, Turkey holds the playing cards for Sweden’s hopes to hitch NATO. The bid goals to strengthen the army alliance in opposition to Russia. Turkey can be central to the continuity of a deal to permit Ukrainian grain shipments and avert a world meals disaster.
In his victory remarks, Erdogan stated rebuilding the quake-struck cities can be his precedence. He additionally stated one million Syrian refugees would return to Turkish-controlled “safe zones” in Syria as a part of a resettlement venture being run with Qatar.
Erdogan has retained the backing of conservative voters who stay dedicated to him for lifting Islam’s profile in Turkey, which was based on secular rules, and elevating the nation’s affect in worldwide politics.
Erdogan’s rival was a soft-mannered former civil servant who has led the pro-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, since 2010. The opposition took months to unite behind Kilicdaroglu. He and his social gathering haven’t gained any elections through which Erdogan ran.
In a frantic outreach effort to nationalist voters within the runoff, Kilicdaroglu had vowed to ship again refugees and dominated out peace negotiations with Kurdish militants if he was elected.
Erdogan and pro-government media portrayed Kilicdaroglu, who obtained the backing of the nation’s pro-Kurdish social gathering, as colluding with “terrorists” and supporting what they described as “deviant” LGBTQ rights.
In his victory speech, Erdogan repeated these themes, saying LGBTQ folks can not “infiltrate” his ruling social gathering or its nationalist allies.
Erdogan reworked the presidency from a largely ceremonial position to a strong workplace via a narrowly gained 2017 referendum that scrapped Turkey’s parliamentary system of governance. He was the primary immediately elected president in 2014 and gained the 2018 election that ushered within the govt presidency.
Erdogan is now serving his second time period as president underneath the chief presidency. He may run once more for one more time period if parliament _ the place his ruling social gathering and allies maintain a majority _ calls early elections. The variety of phrases was a degree of rivalry forward of the elections when critics argued Erdogan can be ineligible to run once more since he had additionally held the workplace earlier than the system change however he pointed to the constitutional amendments that introduced within the govt presidency as justification.
The first half of Erdogan’s tenure included reforms permitting the nation to start talks to hitch the European Union, in addition to financial progress that lifted many out of poverty.
But he later moved to suppress freedoms and the media and concentrated extra energy in his personal fingers, particularly after a failed coup try that Turkey says was orchestrated by the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric denies involvement.
Bilginsoy reported from Istanbul. Bela Szandelszky in Ankara, Turkey; Mucahit Ceylan in Diyarbakir, Turkey; and Cinar Kiper in Bodrum, Turkey, contributed to this report.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
