Incumbent Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Justice and Development Party, AKP, islamo-conservative) has been re-elected for a third mandate after winning the runoff election on 28 May. Erdoğan received 52,16 percent of the vote, beating Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (Republican People’s Party, CHP), who was supported by a six-party centre-left coalition.
Neither Kılıçdaroğlu’s clumsy manoeuvring – such as attempting to curry favour with the far right, perceived as a strong influence on the election outcome – nor the autocratic tendencies of the “Reïs”, nor even the free fall of the Turkish economy managed to remove Erdoğan from power. With his party emerging victorious from the legislative elections on 14 May, Erdoğan now has a free hand. The people will get what they asked for.
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