But at the close of a bitter campaign, Erdogan, whose face was omnipresent on television screens throughout the campaign, claimed victory on Sunday after his closest duel — in two rounds, a first — against Social Democrat Kemal Kiliçdaroglu.
Erdogan won 52% of the vote in the closest presidential election he has faced in his 20 years in power, thanks to his image as a strong leader.
The president has achieved his third term – until 2014 he was prime minister – against Kiliçdaroglu, the social democratic leader who had brought together behind him a large part of the opposition and Turkish society, from Kurds and leftists to nationalists, in what seemed the final attempt to remove Erdogan from power.
“The man of the people won!” headlined the Sabah newspaper, one of the most widely read in the country, on Monday.
Erdogan, at the head of the Justice and Development Party (AKP, Islamoconservative), obtained 52.2% of the votes against 47.8% for Kiliçdaroglu, indicated the final count.
Participation in the second round was 85%, three points less than in the first round, which was held on May 14.
Erdogan’s geopolitical role
The congratulatory messages from leaders such as the presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, of the United States, Joe Biden, of Russia, Vladimir Putin, or the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, demonstrate, beyond the usual diplomatic courtesy, the image of world leader that Erdogan has carved out for himself.