Erdoğan vows inclusivity while maintaining 'terror' accusations in victory speech

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after securing re-election, addressed a crowd of thousands outside the Presidential Complex in Ankara, proclaiming the commencement of the "Century of Turkey."

He highlighted that his triumph meant that "no one lost; instead, all 85 million people in the country emerged as winners."

During his speech, Erdoğan criticized his opponent Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu for the decline in his CHP's seat count, pointing out the inclusion of candidates from smaller parties within the main opposition party.

"In 2018, CHP had 146 deputies, and in 2023, their count rose to 169. As you can see, there has been an increase. However, there are rented deputies here. We have 40 rented deputies... They granted 40 rented deputies to parties that received a mere 1% of the votes, resulting in a decrease to 129."

"Terror" accusations

He also accused Kılıçdaroğlu of having "close contact" with the PKK, and reminded the audience of Kılıçdaroğlu's promise to release Selahattin Demirtaş, the former leader of HDP, if he were to win. Erdoğan referred to Demirtaş as "Selo" and branded him as a "terrorist." The crowd briefly chanted slogans demanding Demirtaş's execution.

Summing up his remarks, Erdoğan declared, "In one of the most critical elections in our history of multi-party politics, our nation has opted for the Century of Turkey.

"In the first round, our people had already revealed their preference by giving the majority to the People's Alliance in the parliament, thereby expressing their choice for the executive branch through today's second-round election.

"This outcome, like any other decision made by our people, holds great significance. However, the victory is not ours alone; it is Turkey's triumph! The entire nation, along with all its diverse segments, is the winner! It is our democracy that has prevailed."

Erdoğan further emphasized, "As you may recall, we have always asserted that when we win, no one in our country will suffer a loss. Likewise, when we succeed, the only losers will be those behind the nefarious plots against our nation, including their accomplices, the terrorist organizations and loan sharks."

In his address, the president pledged to tackle the issue of inflation in his upcoming term, reiterating his economic theory that maintaining low interest rates will lead to a decrease in inflation.

Subsequently, allied leaders joined Erdoğan on stage to address and greet the enthusiastic crowd. (VK)