Erdogan Wins Re-Election After Tough Challenge

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has won his reelection bid, defeating the opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, his rival.

According to preliminary official results announced by Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) on Sunday, Erdogan won with 52.14 percent of the votes while Kilicdaroglu received 47.86 percent.

In a televised speech, the council’s chairman, Ahmet Yener, said Erdogan led Kilicdaroglu by 2.2 million votes.

More than 99 percent of the ballot boxes had been counted, he said, and those remaining would not change the winner.

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Addressing his supporters from atop a white bus near his home in Istanbul, Mr. Erdogan saluted the crowd, sang a song and thanked his supporters.

“We will be together until the grave,” he said.

“We completed the second round of the presidential election with the favor of our nation. I would like to express my gratitude to my nation for giving us a day of democracy.

“The winners of both the 14 May elections and the 28 May elections are all our 85 million citizens,” he added, referring to the two election rounds.

But Kilicdaroglu, who told his supporters that he did not contest the results, claimed the election overall had been unfair.

“This was the most unfair election period in our history… We did not bow down to the climate of fear,” he said.

“In this election, the will of the people to change an authoritarian government became clear despite all the pressures.”

Erdogan’s victory has granted him another five-year term, meaning he will remain in power until 2028.

The Turkish top politician became prime minister in 2003 and president in 2014.