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Erdogan triumphs in Turkey election run-off, extending two-decade rule

  • Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won Turkey’s run-off presidential vote to seal another five-year term
  • Erdogan has dominated Turkey’s political landscape virtually unchallenged for more than two decades

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Turkey’s Erdogan wins presidential election, extending rule into third decade

Turkey’s Erdogan wins presidential election, extending rule into third decade

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appealed for national unity on Monday after winning a historic run-off election that extended two decades of his transformative but divisive rule until 2028.

The 69-year-old overcame Turkey’s worst economic crisis in a generation and the most powerful opposition alliance to ever face his Islamic-rooted party on his way to his toughest election win for a third term.

Streets erupted in car-honking jubilation and tributes poured in from across the world as Turkey’s most important leader in modern history led a sea of supporters in celebratory song outside his presidential palace in Ankara.

“We should come together in unity and solidarity,” Erdogan told the chanting and flag-waving crowd.

“We call for this with all our heart.”

Near-complete results showed Erdogan beating secular opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu by four percentage points.

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