ANKARA — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won his election bid on Sunday, defeating main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and entering his third decade at the helm of Turkish politics, the longest in country's history.
Erdogan received the 52.07% of the vote while Kilicdaroglu received 47.93, according to Anadolu. More than 99 percent of the ballot boxes were counted.
Speaking at a campaign rally, Erdogan thanked all voters who entrusted him with the responsibility of governing for another term. “I would like to thank each and every member of our nation who once again entrusted us with the responsibility of governing the country for the next five years,” he said.
In contrast to the May 14 race that saw more than 88% turnout, the runoff was marked by a lower turnout. According to the preliminary results, the turnout remained at around 85%.