Recep Tayyip Erdogan wavered but still remained standing, leading the race for the presidency with 52.3% of the votes out of 95% of the ballots counted according to the official Anadolu agency. Neither the economic crisis with inflationary overtones, nor the disastrous management of the earthquake which cost the lives of thousands of Turks, and even less the authoritarian drift of his regime got the better of his self-assurance. The 69-year-old man, given favorite after two decades in power, against his social-democratic rival Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, emerged victorious, according to the first results of the second round. His opponent Kemal Kiliçdaroglu is credited with less than 47.7% of the votes.
These figures published two hours after the close of the poll are however likely to change. Thus, the Anka press agency, close to the opposition, gave 50.02% of the vote to Kemal Kiliçdaroglu against 49.98% for Erdogan, out of 85% of the ballots counted. But Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims victory.
After an unprecedented second round, participation reached a record 90%. Opponent Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, who was in the polls a few days before the first round, had called his “fellow citizens to vote to get rid of an authoritarian regime“, smiling after having deposited his ballot in the ballot box in Ankara. “For true democracy and freedom to come to this country, to get rid of an authoritarian government, I invite all citizens to vote“, did he declare. He also called for staying close to the polls after the polls close, “because this election took place in very difficult conditions“, he said.
Currency tumble
“No country in the world has participation rates of 90%, Turkey has almost reached them. I ask my fellow citizens to come and vote without weakening“, argued for his part the head of state, face closed, after voting in the conservative district of Usküdar on the Asian side of Istanbul. The participation rate in the first round was 87%.
No more than during the first round campaign, the economy did not impose itself in the national debate despite inflation around 40% and the plummeting of the national currency which strongly impacts the purchasing power of the population. Even the areas devastated by the February 6 earthquake, which left at least 50,000 dead and three million displaced, had massively placed their trust in the head of state, who multiplied largesse and promises of reconstruction. Facing him, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, the “demokrat dede” – the Democratic grandpa – as this trained economist with white hair and thin glasses presents himself – seemed dejected by his delay in the first round.
Two visions of the country, society and governance presented themselves to Turkey’s 60 million voters: stability at the risk of autocracy with the incumbent Islamo-conservative hyper-president, or the return to a peaceful democracy , with his opponent, a 74-year-old former civil servant and president of the CHP – the party of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish republic.
The symbol of the date of this second round – ten years to the day after the start of the great demonstrations of “Gezi” which had spread throughout the country and had been severely repressed – will not have been enough to rekindle the flame of the change.
Updated at 5:52 p.m. with the new figures and the results given by the Anka agency.
Updated at 6:09 p.m. with updated figures.
Updated at 6:45 p.m. with updated figures.
Updated at 7:26 p.m. with Erdogan’s claim of victory.