Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory on Sunday night in pivotal presidential and parliamentary elections, securing five more years in office and triggering a change to a powerful presidential system that places unprecedented powers in his hands.
Preliminary results showed that the Turkish president overcame the challenges of a resurgent opposition, mounting concerns about the economy and a plunging lira to win 52.5 per cent of the vote with 97.6 per cent of ballot boxes opened. Mr Erdogan’s main challenger, Muharrem Ince, won 30.8 per cent.
The results also showed that Mr Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will have a majority in parliament with the help of its allies from an ultranationalist party.