In an acceptance speech, Erdogan says that he has been given a mandate to govern for the next five years and that the only winner here is Turkey. Several media in Turkey have declared victory for Erdogan, despite the fact that the country’s highest electoral authority has not yet done so. It is the figures from YSK that are considered the official ones. At 19.02 Ahmet Yener, the leader of the country’s highest electoral authority YSK, came up with new figures. Erdogan leads with 53.41 percent, when 75.42 percent of the ballot boxes were counted. Professor of Turkish Studies Einar Wigen believes that this is unfortunate. – This is part of the problems surrounding Turkish elections, that the media declares a winner, says Wigen and continues: – It shows a poor understanding of roles. It is up to the Electoral Council to declare a winner. Once the media declares a winner, it becomes difficult for the Electoral Council to declare in any other way. Some of the major issues during the election have been the economy, the refugee situation and handling of the earthquake disaster. – He is a man of the people, says Erdogan voter Ali Aydogan to news. In the city of Kahramanmaraş, you can hear people celebrating after the latest numbers from YSK. Despite the fact that the citizens were hit hard by the earthquake disaster, many voted for the incumbent president. When asked if Erdogan is to blame for the handling, Aydogan refutes criticism. Bookseller AL Aydogan very much hopes that incumbent President Erdogan wins. Photo: SIDSEL WOLD / news – No, it is not under his control. If there was a different government, we might not have come as far as we have now, he says. In Istanbul, news meets a married couple eating ice cream after voting – for incumbent President Erdogan. – Erdogan wants to stabilize the economy. It cannot continue as it is now. I just bought ice cream and it cost 50 lira, says 67-year-old Huseyin Kaya. In a final offensive, Kiliçdaroglu called on Turkish voters to “get rid of this authoritarian regime” as he signed his vote in the capital, Ankara. Huseyin Kaya and his wife eat ice cream after voting for Erdogan in Istanbul. Photo: åse marit befring / news President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voted at the same time in Istanbul together with his wife Emine. There he asked his voters to “turn up without complacency”. But who are the two presidential candidates? Turkey’s most powerful man The country’s 12th president, Erdogan (AKP) has been the country’s leader for two decades; he sat as Turkey’s prime minister in the period 2003–2014 and president since 2014 until today. Now he is fighting to get a third presidential term. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu is the leader of the Republican People’s Party, CHP. Photo: Emrah Gurel / AP But despite the fact that the 69-year-old politician has been the favorite in the run-up to the election, it is not a given that the sitting president will run away with the victory. Read also: If Erdogan wins: – Many talk about leaving “Turkey’s Gandhi” With a gentle and calm voice, “Turkey’s Gandhi” stands in stark contrast to Erdogan. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, as he is actually called, leads the CHP and is probably Turkey’s most important opposition leader. Kiliçdaroglu has in any case gathered the strongest opposition Turkey’s most powerful politician, Erdogan, has experienced during his term as prime minister and president – even if the opposition fell short in the first round of elections. On May 14, Erdogan received 49.4 percent of the vote, while opposition leader Kiliçdaroglu received 44.96 percent. For over 20 years, Erdogan has governed Turkey in a direction that has made the country increasingly polarized and authoritarian.
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