AS was widely expected, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the presidential race despite strong challenges thrown to his leadership by his rivals. Following Sunday’s historic run off vote, the head of the Supreme Election Council said that Erdogan had won, after the state-run Anadolu Agency had earlier given Erdogan a decisive lead over his rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, with nearly all of the votes from the second contest counted. Turkiye’s main cities erupted in jubilation as Erdogan spoke while traffic on Istanbul´s iconic Taksim Square ground to a halt and huge crowds gathered outside his presidential palace in Ankara as a sign of nation-wide welcome to his victory.
Erdogan’s prudent economic policies put Turkiye on an accelerated path of progress and development and his principled-based and bold foreign policy immensely contributed to the improved image of the country in the comity of nations. However, despite all this, local and foreign inspired propaganda was unleashed to tarnish his position as the number one leader of the country. Turkiye’s longest serving leader was tested like never before in what was seen as the country’s consequential election in its 100 year history as a post-Ottoman republic. Kilicdaroglu cobbled together a powerful coalition that grouped Erdogan’s disenchanted former allies with secular nationalists and religious conservatives and his supporters viewed it as a do or die fight but with the firm support of the masses, the incumbent president emerged victorious in the run-off polls securing an unassailable majority of over 52%. The results of the elections, once again, confirmed that voters value the contribution of their leaders to the public service as they reaffirmed their faith in the policies and programmes of the President that improved the lot of the people and modernized different sectors of the national economy. Analysts point out Erdogan is lionized by poorer and more rural swathes of Turkish society because of his promotion of religious freedoms and modernization of once-dilapidated cities in the Anatolian heartland. Playing on the theme of the ‘century of Turkey’ mentioned earlier, Erdogan says that his supporters will build Turkiye’s future together. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who enjoys intimate rapport with the Turkish leader, represented feelings and aspirations of the people of Pakistan by extending warm greetings to Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He always cared for Pakistan and its people and that is why he is viewed like a national leader of the country. We are sure that bilateral relationship would see new heights of mutual cooperation during the next five-year rule of President Erdogan.
