EURONEWS
Live: Erdogan claims victory in Turkish presidential election
Voters returned to the polls on Sunday to decide whether the country's leader will extend his increasingly authoritarian rule.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared victory over secular challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the Turkish presidential election, though counting is still under way.
Erdogan looks likely to win another five-year term, after coming just short of an outright victory in the first round of voting. But nothing is yet confirmed.
Much is at stake both for Turkey and the world in this historic vote.
Follow our live coverage of the 2023 Turkish presidential election below.
Erdogan - a force to be reckoned with
Results are still yet to be confirmed, but it looks likely that Erdogan has won the second round of the Turkish presidential election.
The desire for change from some of the electorate, an economy on the rocks, rampant inflation, mounting authoritarianism and rollback of democratic freedoms - none of this has outweighed people's desire for security and stability.
Not even the consequences of a terrible earthquake in February, which left at least 50,000 people dead, have toppled Turkey's head of state.
Critics may say the vote was not fair for starters. Having been in power for decades, Erdogan could marshall all the state apparatus and government-controlled media he had at his disposal.
Whatever the case, Erdogan, it seems, is here to stay.
(AFP)
Jubilant Erdogan supporters take to the streets
Erdogan claims victory in speech
The Turkish President has claimed he won the election in a speech.
"I would like to thank the citizens who went to the polls and cast their votes. I would like to thank our people for giving us with the responsibility of governing the country for the next five years," he said.
"We will be worthy of your trust."
'Unquestionable victory', Orban congratulates Erdogan
Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orban has applauded the Turkish president for winning the election, despite votes still being counted.
Just 2% of votes left to count
More than 98% of the ballot boxes have been opened, according to the government-controlled Anadolu Agency news agency.
Erdogan is ahead on 52.1%, meanwhile opposition candidate Kilicdaroglu has 47.9%.
Fifty per cent of the vote is needed for either candidate to win.
Qatar congratulates Erdogan before final results
The Emir of Qatar has congratulated the Turkish President before the official results have been declared.
"My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulations on your victory," wrote Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Twitter. "I wish you success in your new term."
Qatar and Turkey have close relations. In 2015, when the Arab League denounced Ankara's air strikes on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, Doha instead proclaimed its support for Turkey.
Opposition claim they have received half of all votes
The Republican People's Party (CHP), which is facing Erdogan, has said one out of every two votes has been given to their leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
“As of now, we seem to have received the votes of one out of every two people,” said CHP spokesman Faik Oztrak.
He made the comment at the party HQ in Ankara, Turkey's capital.
What happens if Erdogan wins?
The Turkish leader is unlikely to amend his domestic and international policy should he remain in power, according to experts speaking to Euronews in May.
Ilke Toygür, professor of European Geopolitics at the University Carlos III of Madrid said a victory could see Erdogan buckle down even more.
"I would even expect the more frightening attitudes when it comes to democracy and when it comes to foreign policy," she told Euronews.
Erdogan has been accused of rolling back Turkey's secular democracy in favour of authoritarian rule during his decades-long tenure.
Political and media freedoms, women's rights and the country's economy have all taken a knock since he took power in 2001.
Meanwhile, Ankara’s relations with NATO allies have soured over the past few years due, in part, to tensions over Turkey’s growing ties with Russia.
Relations with Greece and Cyprus have also reached their worst point in decades under Erdogan.
Final votes being counted
Just over 95% of the ballot boxes have been opened, according to the government-controlled Anadolu Agency news agency.
Erdogan has 52.3% of the vote, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on 47.7%.
This equates to 26,000,000 votes for the Turkish president and 23,700,000 for his secular rival.
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