Erdoğan declared winner in Turkish presidential election

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been declared the victor in Turkey’s presidential election. The country’s electoral board said the incumbent had won with 97.7% of votes counted.

“Our people have given us the job of carrying out the presidential and executive posts,” Erdoğan said on Sunday night, even while ballots were still being tallied. “I hope nobody will damage democracy by casting a shadow on this election and its results to hide their failure.”

The main opposition party did not immediately concede defeat, but after initially saying Erdoğan would fall well short of a first-round victory, it later said it would continue its democratic struggle “whatever the result”.

The official Anadolu Agency reported that, with 99% of votes counted, Erdoğan had won a 52.54% share of the national vote, while the opposition CHP party’s candidate, Muharrem İnce, was on 30.68%.

-snip-

Kareem Shaheen in Istanbul
Mon 25 Jun 2018 00.33 BST


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/24/erdogan-claims-victory-in-turkish-presidential-election

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Holy shit! That was totally unexpected!!! nt

[pangaia]

6. LOLOLOL

[lagomorph777]

16. Well then you'll be very surprised to hear that Trump offered a congratulatory fellatio.

[Corgigal]

2. Woohoo

Won .25 on my win bet at twin spires.

[Solly Mack]

3. No one could see that coming.

[sandensea]

4. Cheeto's kind of election

The kind you can't lose (or else!).

[flibbitygiblets]

5. Tangerine Idi Amin will call to congratulate him in 3-2-1...

Dick-taters. So much more "strong" and "smart" than those mealy-mouthed so-called "allies" we've been propping up for far too long!

[pangaia]

7. I wouldn't want to be one of the other 2.3%

[pangaia]

8. Coming to the US of A if we don't 'go to war' right now.

“Our people have given us the job of carrying out the presidential and executive posts,” Trump said on Sunday night, even while ballots were still being tallied. “I hope nobody will damage democracy by casting a shadow on this election and its results to hide their failure.”

Donald Trump

[KPN]

9. Surprise, surprise!

[turbinetree]

10. An angry and erratic Erdogan is on the cusp of becoming more powerful than ever

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/23/angry-erratic-erdogan-cusp-becoming-powerful-ever/


This does not bode well.....................

[Cold War Spook]

11. Back in the 60s,

I had TDY orders to go to Turkey. Then told I could not go because the army was backing one guy and the air force another guy. I don't think that they actually fired on each other.

[LeftishBrit]

12. How depressing. The UK and USA are not the only countries with lemming-voters...

Though Erdogan would make damn sure that he got in, whatever happened with the voters.

[moondust]

13. Maybe some vote rigging?

I wouldn't doubt it a bit. But then I'm still not convinced the "coup attempt" wasn't a staged false flag operation that allowed the dictator to lock up jounalists and political opponents.

[Igel]

17. No.

At most, electorate rigging.

Not in the sense of picking and choosing who votes, but controlling the flow of information and messaging so that to support the opposition is billed as unpatriotic and undemocratic, somehow traitorous--and getting that messaging to stick well enough so that the weak fall into line with their peers.

[moondust]

18. .

https://www.firstpost.com/world/turkey-election-opposition-raises-alarm-over-complaints-of-voting-violations-recep-erdogan-says-no-serious-problems-4584121.html

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Sure Glad I Didn't Place That Bet On His Opponent

Whew! That was close. I figured it would be neck and neck!

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Turkey elections impacted by restrictions on freedom, says OSCE

Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded on Monday that opposition parties were denied equal conditions for campaigning in Turkey's election race.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrated victory as his main rival accepted the official results of Sunday's election despite complaints over how the campaign was conducted. The vote was the first held under a new system which gives the president expansive powers.

The OSCE found:

Excessive media coverage and emergency measures tilted the playing field in favor of Erdogan.
Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development party enjoyed an undue advantage.
Restrictions on freedom of speech, media freedom and freedom of assembly impacted the vote.

http://www.dw.com/en/turkey-elections-impacted-by-restrictions-on-freedom-says-osce/a-44383711

[harun]

19. Erdoğan's been a good leader. Progressives should keep an open mind about him.