After defeating his biggest political threat, President Tayyip Erdogan won Turkey’s presidential election on Sunday, extending his autocratic reign into a third decade.

Erdogan greeted voters atop an Istanbul bus and said Turks had given him five years to govern.

“The only winner is Turkey,” he remarked. Results are pending.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, backed by a six-party opposition alliance, did not respond to Erdogan’s victory address.

Putin felicitated Erdogan. The presidents of Iran, Algeria, and Qatar congratulated him in the Middle East, where he has asserted Turkish dominance, sometimes militarily.

After a cost-of-living issue lowered Erdogan’s popularity, the opposition believed it had a good chance of unseating him.

After redrawing domestic, economic, security, and foreign policy in the NATO member country of 85 million people and positioning Turkey as a regional power, success will enhance its invincibility.

With over 99% of ballot boxes counted, supporters gathered at his Istanbul home to celebrate.

At a news conference, the High Election Board chief said Erdogan led Kilicdaroglu with 53.41% support and 75.42% of ballot boxes logged.
Erdogan, leader of the Islamist-rooted AK Party, used nationalist and conservative rhetoric to distract from economic woes.

Western capitals, frightened by Kilicdaroglu’s Russia relations, would undoubtedly grieve his defeat.

After reaching agreements with numerous of his adversaries, the idea of five more years of Erdogan does not seem to scare the Middle East.

Erdogan supporters yelled Allahu Akbar, meaning God is Greatest, outside his Istanbul home. “I expect everything to become better,” said headscarved 28-year-old Nisa.
Another Erdogan admirer said a five-year term would strengthen Turkey. “Every country has concerns, including European ones… “Strong leadership will solve Turkey’s problems,” remarked Mert, 39, as he celebrated with his son.

Kilicdaroglu voter Bugra Oztug, 24, chastised the opposition for not changing. “I’m sad and dissatisfied but not hopeless. “I still think people can see the realities and truth,” Oztug remarked.

Erdogan’s performance has surprised opponents who anticipated voters would punish him for the state’s poor response to February’s deadly earthquakes, which killed over 50,000 people.

His AK Party won 10 11 earthquake-stricken regions in the first round of voting on May 14, helping it achieve a legislative majority with its partners.

Istanbul’s Bilgi University political science professor Emre Erdogan credited Erdogan’s success to his supporters’ “belief in his ability to solve problems, even though he created many of them.”

Erdogan also retained conservative voters who felt marginalized by Turkey’s secular elites. “This era will be characterized by a decline in political and civil liberties, polarization, and cultural fights between two political tribes,” he stated.

Despite years of economic instability blamed on unorthodox economic policies the opposition had sworn to overturn, Erdogan appeared to have prevailed.

Last week, the lira hit record lows due to economic policy uncertainty following Erdogan’s triumph.

Last week, Reuters reported that Erdogan’s cabinet is divided over whether to continue an unsustainable economic policy.

Critics said the referendum would show if an autocratic leader could be overthrown peacefully.

Erdogan, a 12-time election winner, declared he valued democracy and denied being a dictator before the May 14 first-round presidential election.

Kilicdaroglu, who ran a generally inclusive campaign despite Erdogan’s attacks, promised to reset governance, restore human rights, and restore the courts and central bank’s independence after a decade of neglect.

Erdogan warned that a broad opposition combination of six parties would struggle to govern. However, he would continue his strong leadership in a new five-year term after his ruling alliance gained a clear majority in parliament on May 14.