Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 25 June 2018

Turkey: Erdogan claims victory in presidential election

By SUZAN FRASER, ELENA ful leader since the found-
BECATOROS AND ZEYNEP er of the Turkish republic,
BILGINSOY Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He
Associated Press remains popular in the con-
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s servative and pious heart-
President Recep Tayyip Er- land, having empowered
dogan declared victory previously disenfranchised
after unofficial election re- groups.
turns Sunday showed him From a modest back-
with enough votes to serve ground himself, he has pre-
another term that carries sided over an infrastructure
new executive powers. boom that has modernized
“The nation has entrusted Turkey and lifted many out
to me the responsibility of of poverty while also raising
the presidency and the Islam’s profile, for instance
executive duty,” Erdogan by lifting a ban on Islamic
said in televised remarks headscarves in schools
from Istanbul after a near- and public offices.But crit-
complete count carried by ics say he has become in-
the state-run news agen- creasingly intolerant of dis-
cy gave him the majority sent and opposition. The
needed to avoid a runoff. election campaign was
The presidential election heavily skewed in his fa-
and a parliamentary elec- Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a statement on national television from his vor, with opposition candi-
tion also held Sunday, both official residence in Istanbul, Sunday, June 24, 2018. dates struggling to get their
more than a year early, Associated Press speeches aired on televi-
complete NATO-member showed Erdogan winning tion between his ruling Jus- of its lawmakers, including sion. Erdogan directly or
Turkey’s transition from a an outright majority of 52.6 tice and Development Par- Demirtas, and thousands of indirectly controls most of
parliamentary system of percent, far ahead of the ty and the small Nationalist party members were jailed Turkey’s media.
government to a strong 30.75 percent for his main Movement Party, saying during the campaign. Ince, a 54-year-old for-
presidential system. Voters contender, the secular Mu- they had a “parliamentary The party said more than mer physics teacher, was
approved the change in a harrem Ince. majority” in the 600-mem- 350 of its election workers backed by the center-left
referendum last year. Kurdish candidate Sela- ber assembly. have been detained since opposition Republican
Erdogan, 64, insisted be- hattin Demirtas, who ran The unofficial results for April 28. People’s Party, or CHP. He
fore the election that the his campaign from prison the parliamentary election Ince, speaking just after wooed crowds with an
expanded powers — which where he is being held showed Erdogan’s Justice polls closed, warned civil unexpectedly engaging
include the authority to im- pending trial on terrorism- and Development Party, servants involved in the campaign, drawing mas-
pose states of emergen- related charges, was gar- or AKP, losing its majority, vote count to do their jobs sive numbers at his rallies in
cy and to issue decrees nering 8.1 percent. He with 293 seats in the 600- “abiding by the law” and Turkey’s three main cities of
— would bring prosperity has called the charges seat legislature. However, without fear, suggesting Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.
and stability to Turkey, es- trumped-up and politically the small nationalist party they were under pressure More than 59 million Turkish
pecially after a failed mili- motivated. the AKP was allied with gar- by the government. He citizens, including 3 million
tary coup attempt in 2016. However, Ince said the re- nered 49 seats. asked all Turks to be vigilant expatriates, were eligible
A state of emergency has sults carried on Anadolu “Even though we could at polls and not be “demor- to vote. Erdogan called
been in place since the were not a true reflection not reach out goal in par- alized” by what he called the election more than a
coup. of the official vote count liament, God willing we will the possible manipulation year early amid signs the
The president’s critics, how- by the country’s electoral be working to solve that of news. country could be head-
ever, warned that Erdo- board. In a tweet earlier in with all our efforts in the Erdogan, who has been ing toward an economic
gan’s re-election would ce- the evening, he said only 37 People’s Alliance,” Erdo- in power since 2003, had downturn.
ment the grip on power of percent of ballot boxes had gan told cheering support- faced a more robust, unit- The head of Turkey’s elec-
a leader who they accuse actually been counted, as ers outside his official resi- ed opposition than ever toral commission said au-
of showing increasingly au- opposed to the more than dence in Istanbul. before. Opposition candi- thorities had taken action
tocratic tendencies. nearly 90 percent Anadolu The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ dates had vowed to return following reports of irregu-
Official results were to be was reporting at the time. Democratic Party, or HDP, Turkey to a parliamentary larities at voting stations in
declared by the country’s He accused the agency of was passing the 10 percent democracy with strong southeastern Turkey. Vid-
electoral board. “manipulation” of the re- threshold required to enter checks and balances and eos posted on social media
Results carried by the state- sults. parliament with 11.2 per- have decried what they appeared to show people
run Anadolu news agency Erdogan also declared cent. Managing to get into call Erdogan’s “one-man voting in bulk at a ballot
with more than 96 percent victory for the People’s Al- parliament would be a sig- rule.” box in the town of Suruc in
of ballot boxes counted liance, an electoral coali- nificant for HDP, since nine Erdogan is the most power- Sanliurfa province.q