Turkish election 2023: Erdogan celebrates new term, but Turkey ‘still divided’

Kilicdaroglu complained of “the most unfair elections in recent years” and said the president’s political party had mobilized all means of government against him.

In the end, the man was no match for Erdogan’s well-thought-out campaign, although he carried the president to the first run-off in Turkey’s history.

President Erdogan won with just 52 percent of the vote.

The president capitalized on his victory by delivering an opening speech to supporters on a bus in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, followed by a speech from the balcony of his palace after dark to a crowd of adoring supporters. 320,000.

“We didn’t just win, Turkey won,” he said, in one of the most important elections in Turkey’s history.

He mocked his opponent’s defeat with the words “bye, bye, bye Kemal,” a chant echoed by his supporters in Ankara.

Erdogan played down the importance of increasing the number of representatives of the main opposition party in parliamentary elections held two weeks ago.

He said the actual number had come down to 129 as the party had given away dozens of seats to its allies.

He condemned the pro-gay policies of the opposition coalition, which he said contradicted his own focus on the family.

Erdogan supporters came from all over Ankara to taste the victory. There were Islamic chants and some of them spread Turkish flags on the grass to lead prayers.

Forgetting Turkey’s economic crisis overnight, supporter Ceyhan said it was a lie: “No one is hungry, we are very happy with his economic policies and he will do well in the next five years.”

But the president acknowledged that tackling inflation is a more pressing issue in Turkey.

Whether he is ready to take that step is questionable. At an annual rate of nearly 44 percent, inflation creeps into everyone’s life.

Prices of food, rent and other everyday goods have soared, worsened by Erdogan’s refusal to stick to traditional economic policy and raising interest rates.

The Turkish lira hit record lows against the dollar, and the central bank is struggling to meet growing demand for foreign currencies.

“If they continue with low interest rates, as Erdogan has indicated, the only other option is tighter capital controls,” warns Silva Demirolf, professor of economics at Istanbul’s Koç University.

The economy was far from the minds of Erdogan’s supporters, who spoke of their pride in his powerful position in the world and his tough stance on fighting “terrorists,” meaning Kurdish militias.

President Erdogan has accused his rival of supporting terrorists and criticized him for promising to free the former leader of Turkey’s second-largest opposition party, the Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP).

Selahatin Demirtas has been in prison since 2016, despite the European Court of Human Rights ordering his release.

Erdogan said Demirtas will remain behind bars as long as he is in power.

Taksim Square in Istanbul was also thronged, and from some other countries.

Palestinians from Jordan draped Turkish flags around their shoulders, and Tunisian observer Alaa Nasser said Erdogan not only made progress in his country, but “he supports the Arabs and the Islamic world.”

Despite all the celebrations, the idea of ​​unity in this polarized country is more remote than ever.

Since a failed coup in 2016, Erdogan has abolished the post of prime minister and consolidated vast powers in his hands, something his opponent has vowed to undo.

A voter outside a polling station in Ankara on Sunday said he wanted to see an end to the brain drain that began amid the coup attempt. There are fears that the situation may worsen now.