With 52% of Vote, Erdoğan Wins Turkish Election

Updated on May 29, 2023

• The May 28 Turkish election results are confirmed: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been elected president for another five years.
• He won with 52% of the vote.
• After belittling his opponent, chanting, "Bye, bye, Kemal", Erdoğan said:

"The entire nation of 85 million won."

• Observers and human rights commentators point to the country's media bias and limits on freedom of expression which created an "unlevel playing field" and contributed to the defeat of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
• With a 44% inflation rate, tackling the economic crisis is Erdoğan's top priority. He also promised to rebuild regions impacted by the February earthquakes and to return over a million Syrian refugees back to their country of origin.
• Biden tweeted:

What's next?

• Women's rights will continue to be undermined by Erdoğan. The 69-year-old president pulled Turkey out of the Istanbul Convention, which aimed to protect women against discrimination and gender-based violence, arguing that these goals "violate Turkey's family values."
• Thousands of people criticizing Erdoğan online may be subject to criminal prosecution for " insulting the president."
• Kurdish politicians and human rights activists who were jailed on trumped-up terrorism and conspiracy charges will likely remain in prison. 
• Erdoğan criticized his opponent's support of LGBTQIA+ communities after winning the election. Violence and hate speech against the LGBTQIA+ community have been growing in Turkey.

Updated on May 15, 2023

• A runoff election has been confirmed and will be held on May 28.

What's the story on the election results?

• Elections polls in Turkey closed yesterday, but with neither current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan nor his rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu over the required 50% threshold, it is likely that there will be a runoff.
• According to Turkey's supreme election council, YSK, voter turnout was very high, at 88.8% of the voting-age population.
• The runoff elections would be held in two weeks, on May 28. 

Who is Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu?

• Kılıçdaroğlu, a former civil servant, has been Turkey's prominent opposition leader for over a decade.
• His moderate Republican People's Party (CHP) has seen victories in Turkey's biggest cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir.
• Erdoğan's 74-year-old rival's campaign focuses on political reform and ending polarization in the country after decades of what many perceive as Erdoğan's authoritarian rule. As the most prominent threat Erdoğan has seen yet, Kılıçdaroğlu received 44.89% of the vote on Sunday. 
• If Kılıçdaroğlu manages to secure a victory, he would have to contend with Erdoğan's ultraconservative alliance, which has already secured a majority in parliament. This would reduce legislative support for Kılıçdaroğlu's reforms and policies were he to win.

Erdoğan's legacy of oppression

• Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been in power for 21 years and have consolidated control across media, politics, the judiciary, state institutions, and industry. He won 49.5% of the vote on Sunday, according to Turkey's Supreme Election Council. 
• The party has jailed journalists and dissidents, censored free speech, and persecuted minorities. Erdoğan's attacks on civil society and freedom of speech have become more emboldened as his centralized power grows yearly.
• According to research by Amnesty International, over 375 NGOs have been shut down during his term. Opposition groups have been charged with terrorism, particularly in majority-Kurd eastern regions. Women's rights have been targeted, and violence and hate speech against the LGBTQIA+ community have been growing at a worrying pace.

What's next if Erdoğan wins?

• Women's rights will continue to be undermined if Erdoğan wins the election. The 69-year-old president pulled Turkey out of the Istanbul Convention, which aimed to protect women against discrimination and gender-based violence, arguing that these goals "violate Turkey's family values."
• Thousands of people criticizing Erdoğan online may be subject to criminal prosecution for " insulting the president."
• Kurdish politicians and human rights activists who were jailed on trumped-up terrorism and conspiracy charges will likely remain in prison. 

Are you concerned about Erdoğan's victory?

—Emma Kansiz 

(Photo Credit: Twitter/Canva)