Erdoğan lost, Erdoğan Won: headlines in Turkey after elections

Did the incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan secure a decisive victory in the first round, or do thousands of contested ballots still stand to be allocated to Nation Alliance frontrunner Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu? Was manipulation lurking beneath the surface of one of Turkey's most fiercely contested elections, or did May 14 truly embody a festival of democracy?

The day after, different newspapers report on the tumultuous election night.

Cumhuriyet

Against a black backdrop, the republican-leaning Cumhuriyet (meaning republic in Turkish) headlines in large white letters: "Erdoğan Loses," accompanied by the somewhat paradoxical statement: "There is no winner in the first round of Turkey's historic elections."

The daily, founded in 1924, delves into the claimed deception by state-run news portal, Anadolu Agency (AA), one of the two authorized entities for reporting preliminary results. "Once again, AA has manipulated as it does in every election, displaying a significant number of votes for Erdoğan," it proclaims.

Tuncay Mollaveisoğlu's column further catches the eye, referring to the 2019 İstanbul elections in which Ekrem İmamoğlu won the mayoral race by a slim margin in the first round. However, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) challenged the results, alleging irregularities and demanding a recount.

"Turkey has seen this movie before! They annulled Ekrem İmamoğlu's triumph in the İstanbul election. We relive that night once again. Based on what I see, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is on his way to winning the first round," he opines.

The presidential election seems to be heading into a second round, while Erdoğan's People Alliance secures a large part of the parliament.

Sabah

When opening the pages of the conservative-inclined Sabah, a different narrative unfolds.

"The nation entrusts Erdoğan," it heads. "Neither the dirty games of the West, nor the threats of internal warfare by the PKK/HDP, nor the perception operations worked," the paper continues.

These statements seem to reference recent claims made by officials, including Turkey's interior minister Soylu who asserted that the elections could entail a "political coup attempt by the West," and Erdoğan's allegations of the opposition and terrorist organizations being in cahoots when prominent Kurdish politicians outed their support for his main rival.

Turning to the second page of the government-affiliated paper, the focus turns away from the ballot boxes. Instead, the daily shines a spotlight on Mother's Day, also held on May 14.

Prominent space is given to a story of an elderly woman living in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır, who, after 1,350 days of separation, is finally reunited with her daughter on Mother's Day. She had been reportedly sent away by the HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) to join the outlawed PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party).

Korkusuz

Korkusuz, an off-shoot of Sözcü, states: "As the voting commenced, the entire nation held its breath. A fierce battle unfolded, head-to-head, in the presidential election, we experienced a panting struggle."

The newspaper highlights a development in the parliamentary elections, namely that the ruling AKP appears to have lost MPs, declining from 295 to 268, while the Republican People's Party (CHP) increased its seats from 164 to 167.

Turning to the second, third, and fourth pages, readers are welcomed with extensive lists detailing which parties received votes from various regions and the preliminary results regarding which representatives will secure a parliamentary seat.

Türkiye

Amidst captivating headers depicting a closely contested race and alongside a prominent image of President Erdoğan, the İhlas group-owned newspaper writes:

"Turkey rushed to the ballot boxes in its election of the century. The participation record was shattered. From the moment the ballot boxes were opened, President Erdoğan held the lead. The large gap was closed with the votes from the coastline and the east and southeast, where the political extension of the PKK, the Green Left (YSP), is prominent. When the vote count across the country reached around 90%, neither of the two candidates managed to obtain the necessary support to win in the first round."

In the left corner, the newspaper writes that out of the 11 provinces affected by the February 6 earthquakes, 9 voted in favor of sitting president Erdoğan and the People's Alliance. Page two covers celebrities doing their democratic duty, including pop icon Sezen Aksu and singer Demet Akalın, reportedly a Kılıçdaroğlu supporter. This piece is flanked by an advertisement promoting a 7-day visit to religious sites in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with a price tag of 1600 dollars.

Sözcü

In line with other Republican-leaning media outlets, the government-critical daily Sözcü captures the attention with its headline: "They manipulated the results by delaying their announcement. Again the same movie," continuing with: "The fate of Turkey's election was tarnished by the AKP's continuous objections to halt the vote count in the strongholds of CHP, allegations of manipulation during the counting of overseas votes, and the delay caused by the late arrival of the state's AA. As of 2:30 am, the election had not yet ended."

The newspaper's subsequent pages are filled with extensive lists of potential elected representatives and voter turnout rates.

Akşam

Akşam's front page totals three images of President Erdoğan, accompanied by many references to his name. The paper declares: "The Winning Erdoğan, The Winning People." On the right of the page, it states: "No to the Parliamentary System."

A 2017 referendum moved the country away from a parliamentary system and into a system that awarded the presidential position extensive powers, with decrees basically allowing direct rule. The opposition had the intention to revert back to a parliamentary system.

A section at the bottom of the first page is dedicated to the allegations of manipulations made by Ankara and İstanbul Mayors Mansur Yavaş and Erkem İmamoglu. "Their claims collapsed. They lost," Akşam comments.

Turning to the second page, famous people engaged in the act of voting graces the entire page. Meanwhile, page three focuses on four individuals who succumbed to heart attacks at various polling stations.

Takvim

Closely linked to the government, the self-declared people's paper proudly posts on the first page: "The Answer of the Century." Accompanied by an image of Erdoğan seemingly handing a 200TL bill to young individuals. It devotes many sections to bashing foreign media, asserting that "Western media is in shock after yesterday's results." It further accuses the opposition of being aligned with the PKK and FETÖ, an abbreviation for "Fethullahist Terrorist Organization," also known as the "Gülen Movement," led by exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen, who has been accused of orchestrating the 2016 coup.

Flipping to the second and third pages, readers are welcomed with advertisements for an Ahaber series, while also treating the readers to photographs showcasing celebrities that vote. On the fourth page, Takvim sheds light on people's fashion choices as they go to the polling stations, featuring images such as a man dressed in a full Janissary uniform atop a horse.

Evrensel

Evrensel, a left-leaning newspaper, titles "Erdoğan's Retreat," emphasizing the reported loss of votes in some AKP strongholds during the election. On the bottom of the front page, it sheds light on an incident involving the registration of voters as members of the balloting committee for the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), without their knowledge or consent.

On the second page, the newspaper features the record-breaking participation rate, emphasizing people's engagement in the electoral process. On the third page, it continues reporting to the purported decline of AKP's influence in central Anatolia.

Yeni Şafak

However, Yeni Şafak, a conservative-inclined newspaper, underscores the substantial support that President Erdoğan received from Anatolia, stating that he leads in 52 provinces, primarily in central Anatolia. The paper also focuses on Yavaş and İmamoğlu, portraying their appearances as a debacle and stressing their alleged involvement in provocations.

On the second page, the Yeni Şafak also devotes a large section to individuals dressed in traditional Ottoman outfits or elderly women as they exercise their voting rights.

Birgün

Birgün, a left-leaning newspaper, begins with: "The final words will be spoken on May 28." It further echoes other papers by writing: "We have seen this movie before!" Accompanied by a picture of people standing in line at night, the newspaper declares: "We Will Not Allow You to Steal the Votes."

On the second page, Birgün heads: "Despite all the manipulations, the elections will proceed to a second round." The third page delves deeper into the purported objections raised by the AKP concerning ballot boxes leaning toward the opposition. (WM)