Winning the Presidential Election, Erdogan: The winner is 85 million Turks, time to unite and put aside strife

JAKARTA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will again extend his term of office for the next five years, inviting all citizens to unite, get rid of differences, after successfully winning the second round of the Turkish Presidential Election on Sunday.

The official results of the voting showed that Erdogan pocketed 52.1 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, his competitor Kemal Kilicdaroglu earned 47.9 percent of the vote.

"I would like to thank every citizen, who once again considers us worthy to bear the responsibility to lead this country," President Erdogan said in his victory speech at night, quoting the Turkish Presidency website, Monday, May 29.

"I want to thank every citizen who went to the polls at home and abroad, who upheld their will and proved the strength of our democracy," he continued, praising voters who turned out to vote May 14 and 28.

In a victory speech held in Ankara, President Erdoğan promised to renounce all disputes and unite behind national values ​​and dreams.

"As you remember, we always said 'no one loses in our country when we win. Similarly, we say, when we win, the only losers are the dirty plotters about our country and their apparatus, the terrorist organizations. and moneylenders. Let me repeat the same promise, no one has lost today. Everyone of our 85 million citizens has won," said President Erdogan, who was accompanied by his wife Emine Erdogan.

"As required by the responsibility entrusted to us by our nation, we are not offended, annoyed or angry at anyone. This is the time to put aside all disputes and bickering about the election period, and unite and unite around our national goals and dreams ," President Erdogan underlined.

On this occasion, President Erdoğan said that inflation is the most urgent problem in Turkey.

He also said the release of former pro-Kurdish party leader Selahattin Demirtas, whom he branded a "terrorist," would not be possible under his rule.

President Erdogan's victory extended his longest tenure as leader since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded modern Turkey from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire a century ago.