Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrate his victory in Istanbul on May 28, 2023.
Thousands of supporters of “Reis” (chief) paraded in Turkey on Sunday after their “guide” Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected, deafening opponents with their thunderous firecrackers.
Once again, with 52.2% of the votes cast in the second round of the presidential election, according to the final results, compared to 47.8% for his Social Democratic rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who is 74 years old, he is the second candidate of that democratic spring. failed to deliver what they had promised.
The announcement was not official when the head of state’s name was already echoing through the streets of Istanbul, chanted by thousands of supporters who spontaneously gathered in front of the AKP party headquarters and his official residence in the city.
At 5:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. GMT), three hours after polling had ended, Erdogan announced his triumphant victory on the roof of a bus, much to the joy of his supporters.
Soner Ceylan, 52, who works in the field of marketing, said, “We are happy, God has fulfilled our wish. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a great leader, a very powerful leader and he has made a lot of progress in Turkey.”
There were children and women in the crowd who were “very excited” to see the “sole guide” being re-elected for five years, as Semin Ukma called him.
The 44-year-old housewife says she is “very proud” of her 69-year-old president, who is “not only Turkey’s leader” but “a world leader”.
– “Everything He Has Done” –
“This man has been in power for 20 years. Everything he has done in 20 years is before our eyes: the defense industry, the TOG (electric) car,” enthuses 24-year-old Burak Durmas.
“We have reached the second round”, unlike in 2014 and 2018, when Erdogan won the election in the first round, he recalled, “but I knew we were going to win.”
In Kahramanmaras, a large city near the epicenter of the February 6 earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people and displaced millions, supporters of the president paraded in heaps on a truck.
Erdogan’s supporters were jubilant in Ankara, while Kilikdaroglu won in Istanbul.
On the massive façade of the presidential palace, two colossal portraits stand next to the Turkish flag, one of Erdogan, the other of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey.
– “We will continue to work” –
In Istanbul, in front of the headquarters of the CHP party, the Social Democratic Party founded by Ataturk, the atmosphere was just as bitter as some polling stations where the opposition had deployed thousands of observers.
German teacher Sena Aykut said, “When the first results were announced, of course we were demoralized, of course we were disappointed.”
“But of course, we will continue to work with our usual strength (…) because we are still very young and it is too early to destroy hopes,” the 25-year-old woman said.
“Ever since I was born, I have lived under Erdoğan’s rule. Today we cry, we are disappointed,” admitted Melis Asya Bozelı. But this 22-year-old trainee lawyer made a promise: “Tomorrow we will continue to work again.”
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