Turkey election: Erdogan wins historic runoff

 The Turkish president addressed his supporters shortly after proclaiming victory and said that he had been chosen by the electorate to lead the nation for the ensuing five years.

Erdogan said that Turkey was the sole winner of the day. The "most unfair election in years," according to opposition leader Kilicdaroglu, was denounced, but he vowed to keep "leading this struggle" against the Erdogan government.

Without officially admitting defeat, he remarked, "My real sadness is about the challenges the country faces. In his victory speech on Sunday night, Erdogan emphasized the need for "unity and solidarity," promising to put differences behind him in order to unite the nation around "national values and dreams."

Erdogan claimed that his slim electoral victory was a victory for "Turkish democracy" and all 85 million Turkish citizens. The French AFP news agency quoted him as adding, "We have no grudge, anger, or frustration with anyone." "Nobody lost today. The 85 million-person country as a whole won.

Then, according to reports, Erdogan changed his mind and said that "terrorist organizations" had lost the election. 

The most pressing issue, he admitted, was the country's unusually high inflation, but he insisted that it was a challenge that could be overcome.

He also promised to lower inflation and to develop a robust economy based on security and confidence. He also promised to secure the repatriation of an extra 1 million Syrians who had fled their country's civil turmoil for the nearby Turkish Republic.

During the two-month election cycle, one of the most divisive campaigns in recent memory took place. Due to the support of the largest pro-Kurdish party, Erdogan repeatedly referred to his opponent's supporters as "terrorists," and Kilicdaroglu finished the campaign by calling Erdogan a "coward."

The campaign took on a more nationalist tenor after the opposition, in particular, threatened to push Syrians and other refugee communities to leave.
Prior to Sunday's run-off, there had never been a second round of voting since the commencement of direct presidential elections in 2014. The turnout remained around 85% even though voters were asked to cast ballots once more two weeks after the first election on May 14.

Whether Turks watched the state-run Anadolu news agency or the opposition-affiliated Anka news agency during the opening of the polling places on television affected the results.

According to the electoral authorities, two hours after voting completed, Anadolu showed Erdogan winning with 53.7 percent while Anka showed Kilicdaroglu leading with 50.1 percent.

But as the night went on, the gap between the two accounts shrank and Erdogan was revealed to be ahead in both.