The 2023 elections carry a special weight as they coincide with the centenary of the Turkish Republic, earning them the title of the “elections of the century”.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has congratulated his “brother” Recept Tayyip Erdogan after winning the Turkish presidential elections on Sunday.
“My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan, congratulations on your victory, and I wish you success in your new term, and that you achieve in it what the brotherly Turkish people aspire to in terms of progress and prosperity, and for the strong relations of our two countries to further development and growth,” the Qatari leader said.
The message, sent in a tweet on Twitter, came as Turkish state media reported a lead by Erdogan in Sunday’s crucial run-off election, blazing past opposition leader Kemal Kiloicdaroglu with more than 80 per cent of ballots boxes opened.
Anadolu state news agency said Erdogan secured 54.47% percent of the vote, while Kiloicdaroglu managed to get some 45.53% percent.
Turkish nationals in Qatar took to the streets of the Gulf state on Sunday evening to celebrate the results, with the iconic Al Jaber Towers in Lusail Marina lighting up with the Turkish flag alongside an image of Erdogan.
The Turkish electoral process involved millions of eligible voters participating to elect their representatives.
Turkish citizens residing in Qatar cast their votes at polling stations at the embassy and in the airport for both voting runoffs.
The 2023 elections carry a special weight as they coincide with the centenary of the Turkish Republic, earning them the title of the “elections of the century”.
The first round of voting occurred amidst the “flames of the hot political atmosphere” and was marked by “safety and complete freedom,” Ambassador Mustafa Göksu said to Doha News in a statement earlier this month.
As per Turkish law, candidates must receive more than 50% of the votes to qualify for presidency.
However, with no candidate receiving the mandatory threshold earlier this month, the Turkish Supreme Election Council announced a second round to the elections between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition leader, Kemal Kiloicdaroglu.
“The organisers of these vicious media campaigns have missed that dictators do not need fair elections and remarkable public attendance to vote, and they certainly do not engage in run-offs to give the word back to the people, who have the final word in assigning those who give them the utmost freedom to lead the country,” Goksu added at the time.
The turnout of Turkish voters in Türkiye in the first round of elections was the highest the country has experienced in decades, according to Ahmet Yener, President of the Supreme Election Council.
The turnout inside the country reached 88.92%, which “far exceeds the voter turnout in countries that have been well-established in their political and electoral practice for decades.”
President Erdogan, who at age 69 has led Turkey for 20 years, will now rule for another five years.
The president’s leadership has seen Türkiye undergo significant changes in recent years, with various domestic and foreign policy initiatives shaping the country’s trajectory.
Qatar and Turkey share deep-rooted ties in various sectors, including politics, trade, and cultural exchange.
