Says to safeguard existence, independence of state
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took the oath of office for a new presidential term on Saturday after winning re-election last weekend, extending his rule into a third decade.
“I, as president, swear upon my honour and integrity before the great Turkish nation and history to safeguard the existence and independence of the state,” Erdogan said during a ceremony at the parliament in Ankara, which was broadcast live. Erdogan received his mandate from the interim parliament speaker before taking the oath.
Turkiye’s longest-serving leader, Erdogan won 52.2% support in a May 28 runoff vote. His election victory defied most opinion polls and came despite a cost-of-living crisis that was seen to have hurt his prospects.
Erdogan, 69, became prime minister in 2003 after his AK Party won an election in late 2002 following Turkiye’s worst economic crisis since the 1970s.
In 2014, he became the country’s first popularly elected president and was elected again in 2018 after securing new executive powers for the presidency in a 2017 referendum.
In his post-election victory speech, Erdogan said inflation, which hit a 24-year peak of 85% last year before easing, was Turkiye’s most urgent issue.
Despite facing a challenging cost-of-living crisis that was believed to have affected his chances, Turkiye’s longest-serving leader, Erdogan, defied the predictions of most opinion polls.
Many world leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, and Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani are in Ankara to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Erdogan.—Agencies
