Erdogan winner of Turkish presidential run-off: Supreme Election Council

The Turkish Supreme Election Council has officially declared Recep Tayyip Erdogan the winner of the Turkish presidential election runoff with 52.18 percent of the votes.

Ahmet Yener, the chairman of the election council, announced on Thursday that the official results of the May 28 presidential runoff in the capital Ankara.

The final results of the second round of voting in the presidential election conducted on May 28 have been forwarded to the Official Gazette for publication, Yener said.

He also noted that with the completion of the voting procedure overseas on May 24, 2023, before the voting day in the country, the transfers were performed from 73 countries, 151 representative offices, and 16 centres.

There was a participation rate of 88.92 percent domestically and 53.80 percent abroad. The total participation rate, including domestic, international, and customs, was found to be 87.05 percent.

The May 14 elections were definitive for parliament, but in the presidential polls the same day no candidate got the 50 percent needed for an outright victory, though President Erdogan had the lead.

Congratulations continue

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated Erdogan on his victory in a phone call, sending best wishes to the Turkish people, the Turkish Communications Directorate said on Twitter late Wednesday.

Erdogan and Guterres also discussed regional issues.

Heads of state and government also continued to convey their best wishes to the president through calls and messages.

Gambian President Adama Barrow, in a post on his Twitter account, wished Erdogan "a successful term."

"I express my trust in Türkiye's astute and forward-thinking elected president, and I wish him to continue his duty with the peace brought by peace, unity and prosperity," said Liberian President George Manneh Weah.

President of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit also sent felicitations to Erdogan, who won the race with more than 52.18 percent of the vote against opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu who got 47.82 percent.

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki expressed his confidence that Erdogan's re-election will improve Türkiye's economic development and progress, as well as bilateral ties and cooperation.

The leaders who called Erdogan on Wednesday included Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, and Tajikistan President Sadir Japarov.

Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also spoke to the Turkish president.

Others who conveyed their wishes to Erdogan over the phone are Bahraini King Hamed bin Isa Al Khalifa and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.