Government of Turkey

President Tayyip Erdogan extended his two decades in power in elections on Sunday, winning a mandate to pursue increasingly authoritarian policies which have polarized Turkey and strengthened its position as a regional military power.

His challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, called it "the most unfair election in years" but did not dispute the outcome.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan headed for victory in the presidential runoff election on May 28, securing another five-year term in the presidency.

Erdoğan is reelected Türkiye's president in the runoff election with 52.14 percent of the votes according to unofficial results, Supreme Election Council (YSK) Chair Ahmet Yener announced.

A picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outside the presidential palace following the second round of presidential elections, Ankara, 28 May 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/NECATI SAVAS

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the joint presidential candidate of the Nation Alliance, has vowed to continue his struggle for democracy and called on the people to stand tall in the coming period.

"The Nation Alliance, with all its components, did struggle on all fronts. We will continue to give this struggle," Kılıçdaroğlu said in a statement late on May 28.

Leaders from across the globe took to social media to extend their congratulations to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as he secured his reelection in the presidential runoff election.

Turkey's incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared victory in his country's runoff election, extending his rule into a third decade.

In his first comments since the polls closed, Erdogan spoke to supporters on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan thanked supporters on May 28 as the vote count has neared end, with unofficial results showing him leading in runoff.

"We will be ruling the country for the coming five years," Erdoğan told his cheering supporters from atop a bus in his home district in Istanbul. "God willing, we will be deserving of your trust."

• More than 60 million Turkish citizens are eligible to vote on Sunday in 87 election districts. Turkey's large diaspora of 3.5 million voters already finished voting in diplomatic missions on May 24.
• Voters ready to decide on renewing another five-year mandate for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has been ruling the country for21 years.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has voted for Türkiye's first-ever presidential runoff election at the Üsküdar Saffet Çebi Middle School in Istanbul's Üsküdar district on May 28.

To the dismay of secular and Westernized segments of Turkish society Erdogan once again proved his popularity. With 49.5 percent of the votes, he came very close to winning in the first round. The next round is scheduled for Sunday and Erdogan is now the clear favorite. It was not supposed to be that way.