Türkiye's Supreme Election Council said that with 99.43% of the votes counted, incumbent President Erdogan won 52.14% of the votes, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu - leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and also the candidate of the 6-party opposition National Coalition - won only 47.68% of the votes. Kilicdaroglu also admitted defeat and accepted the voting results.

Immediately after the election results were announced by the Supreme Election Council of Türkiye, many people took to the streets in Istanbul and many other major cities in Türkiye to celebrate the victory of the "Justice and Development" Party and President Erdogan personally.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared victory. Photo: Reuters

Speaking after his victory, President Erdogan thanked Turkish voters for entrusting him with the mandate to govern the country until 2028 and called for unity. “It is time to put aside the disputes of the election campaign and achieve unity and solidarity around the dreams of our nation,” President Erdogan told a crowd gathered outside the Presidential Palace in Ankara.

Leaders of many countries around the world such as the US President, the British Prime Minister, the Russian President, the Egyptian President, the Iranian President and the Emir of Qatar immediately congratulated Mr. Erdogan on his victory. "This victory is clear evidence of the Turkish people's support for Mr. Erdogan's efforts to strengthen national sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy," Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized in a statement on the Kremlin's information page. In congratulating Mr. Erdogan on his re-election as president on Twitter, US President Joe Biden emphasized: "I look forward to continuing to coordinate (with Mr. Erdogan) as allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on bilateral issues and common global challenges."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to supporters on May 28. Photo: bfmtv.com

Mr. Erdogan was born on February 26, 1954 in Istanbul. He graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Commercial Sciences at Marmara University in Istanbul. Mr. Erdogan was elected Mayor of Istanbul in the local election on March 27, 1994. Mr. Erdogan was Prime Minister of Turkey for 11 years before becoming President in 2014.

Erdogan has now served a total of 20 years as president or prime minister. Last year, he brokered a deal to allow Ukrainian agricultural exports across the Black Sea.

According to Le Monde newspaper, the recent presidential election is of great significance, a turning point in the past 100 years in Türkiye. Re-elected as president this time, Mr. Erdogan will have to steer the country through difficulties, such as improving people's lives in the context of high inflation as well as the consequences of the terrible earthquake that occurred last February; shaping the foreign policy of this NATO member country in the coming period...

PHUONG LINH (according to Le Monde, AFP)