1 of 1 Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waves to supporters in front of his house Photo: Murad Sezer/Portal Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waves to supporters in front of his house Photo: Murad Sezer/Portal
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his victory in the presidential elections on Sunday before the official results were published.
Addressing his supporters, Erdogan said voters had given him the responsibility of governing for the next five years.
“I want to thank every member of our nation who has once again given us the responsibility of governing Turkey for the next five years,” he told supporters outside his home.
Final official results are yet to be released. But according to the country’s state agency, Erdogan is already the winner and has 52.13% of the vote, versus his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s 47.87%, with 99.66% of the polls counted.
With counting well advanced, Kilicdaroglu said that “these are the most unfair elections in years” in Turkey. The candidate also believes that the result shows the Turkish people’s desire for a change from an authoritarian government.
“I ask you to continue the fight for democracy,” Kilicdaroglu said, saying he too will continue to fight.
Campaign with fake news and money distribution
Erdogan distributes money to his supporters after casting his vote in the second round
Erdogan, who has been in power in Turkey for two decades, controls the country’s media and used the means necessary to denigrate his opponent in the two weeks that elapsed between the first and second rounds Sandra Cohen’s blog highlights.
According to the International Press Institute, there was an “unprecedented level of organized disinformation” in those elections.
- UNDERSTAND: Disinformation campaign fuels Türkiye’s second round
In addition, it was pointed out that the President distributed money to voters. Records show that shortly after the vote in the second round, Erdogan distributed slips of paper to the population. (See video above).