Presidential election in Türkiye: new mandate for Erdogan

President Erdogan, in power for 20 years, is about to be re-elected on Sunday, May 28. His supporters celebrate his victory. “Horns around me, people gathered waving the flag of the AKP, the president’s party”describes Agnès Vahramian, special correspondent in Istanbul (Türkiye). “The joy is increased tenfold, because this election was not easy, it took a second round, for the first time in the history of Turkey. I heard someone say to me, ‘we were like in war, and we won'”reports Agnès Vahramian.

Restricted Speech

“Others are already happy that democracy has worked well. A statement to qualify, because it will be necessary to remember that in this election, Erdogan had 60 times more speaking time than his opponent, that he locked up his opponents and that he also restricted speech. The Kiliçdaroglu camp is completely defeated tonight. We do not know if Erdogan will reach out to them, in any case he has planned to celebrate his victory tomorrow, at Saint Catherine’s Basilica , transformed into a mosque, a high place of his power”says Agnès Vahramian.