According to the results covering more than 98% of the ballots, published by the official Anadolu agency, the head of state won 52.1% of the vote against 47.9% for his social-democrat rival Kemal Kiliçdaroglu who, at 74, lost the gamble on alternation and the “appeased democracy” he promised. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power for twenty years, would obtain 52.3% of the vote at this stage, against 47.7% for his opponent Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, according to these provisional results.
Spontaneous rallies have sprung up all over the cities where “Reis” has triumphed, particularly in the heart of Anatolia.
Neither the desire for change and openness of part of the electorate, nor the severe inflation undermining Turkey, nor the restrictions on freedoms and hyper-presidentialization of a power that has sent tens of thousands of opponents behind bars or into exile, weighed against the desire for security and stability that had already been expressed in the first round of voting.
The outgoing president spoke from the roof of a bus parked outside his Stamboulian residence, to which an enthusiastic crowd had converged.
“We will keep all our promises to the people”, said the head of state, who has been in power for twenty years, asserting that “every election is a rebirth”. “This election has shown that no one can attack the achievements of this nation”, he continued.
