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Erdogan wins again - 2nd June 2023

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has extended his two decades rule to 2028, after winning the second round of the country’s elections.

Erdogan and his religious conservative AK party defeated Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of a broad based secular opposition, by just four percentage points. It was the first ever presidential runoff, in a country which is deeply divided. Turkey faces high inflation, in excess of 43 percent, is still recovering from a devastating earthquake which occurred in February and dealing with record numbers of refugees.

Even so, Gursel Ozkok's delighted with the result.

Gursel Ozkok: "It went as I expected. I think the person who's beneficial to our country won. I’m very happy. I’m happy because of his beliefs. The rest isn't important. The country comes first."

However, young voters with different aspirations for their life and work feel let down by the result.

Kerem: "I don’t have hope anymore. I don’t have hope for Turkey. I want to move abroad as soon as possible. I’m an engineering student and it will be better for me elsewhere."

Since 2017, Erdogan has governed Turkey with extensive presidential powers, including being able to declare a state of emergency and appoint or dismiss civil servants without parliamentary permission. Those opposed to him are still calling for a return to a parliamentary system, with a prime minister at its helm. They fear that with a further term in office, Erdogan will seek to expand the powers of the president still further.

Kilicdaroglu has labelled the elections unfair. Meanwhile, Erdogan, when addressing his supporters, called on people to "put aside all the debates and conflicts regarding the election period and unite around our national goals and dreams."

Some voters remain pragmatic about the results. Aziz Fatih Gemci is a student.

Aziz Fatih Gemci: "This is the will of the people. I hope the economy will be better. I hope our purchasing power will increase. This is our main priority."