On his social media account, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun addressed questions from the international press regarding the election results and Türkiye's message to the world.
Director of Communications Altun recalled that Türkiye held presidential and 28th term parliamentary elections with a turnout rate of nearly 87 percent adding, "President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan finished the first round with 49.5 percent – over 4 percent points ahead of his opponent. Yesterday, 84.2 percent of eligible voters participated in the second round to give the President five more years in power. "
Director of Communications Altun emphasised how the candidates campaigned in a fair and transparent atmosphere, saying:
"Facing a coalition of far-right and far-left parties, the President ran a realistic campaign, making no false pledges and pushing back against a barrage of disinformation. It was not only social media trolls that participated in that disinformation campaign but also major national and international media outlets. Sadly enough, the President’s opponent became a mouthpiece for that disinformation campaign.
The President has embraced consistency and coherence as core values in politics. By contrast, his opponent did not care about being consistent. Nor did he worry about the truth. He simply said whatever he needed to say, when he needed to say it. The President built his campaign around a basic rule of sociology in line with sociopolitical realities: 'Society is more than the sum of individuals.'
It was that principle, together with his commitment to defending the rights of all citizens, that guided his efforts to address social issues. By contrast, his opponent completely missed that point, opting for an excessively populist and ‘hyperreal’ campaign."
"The President opposed only his opponents"
Director of Communications drew attention to the extraordinary measures taken by the President to stop the political polarisation from morphing into social polarisation, noting, "Accordingly, the President opposed his opponents but no social group. Again, his opponent did everything in his power to transform political polarisation to social polarisation and to deepen that polarisation. He even resorted to hate speech. Our President won yesterday’s election although social media companies and international media conglomerates sided with his opponent."
Director of Communications Altun stated that when campaigning, Erdoğan highlighted the importance of stability and pledged to continue his global efforts to promote justice, and noted:
"He reassured voters with reference to his strong track record and achievements. He also raised awareness among Turkish citizens about external threats including the threat of terrorism. He inspired hope among them regarding key parts of social life such as foreign policy, national security, the defence industry, the economy, science and technology, healthcare, and housing. The President campaigned for re-election at a time when his administration worked very hard to heal the wounds of the devastating earthquake that took place on February 6, 2023. He highlighted his vision –the Century of Türkiye– and described his triumph as the 'victory of great Türkiye.'
To explain clearly and transparently what he meant by that, the President released a document comprised of hundreds of pages called 'the right steps for the Century of Türkiye.' He talked about concrete projects, which he intended to launch as part of that plan, in televised interviews and at campaign events. It goes without saying that the Turkish people strongly supported President Erdoğan because they knew his character. Türkiye shall continue to try and address regional and global issues as a stabilising force in this age of uncertainty. Under the President’s leadership, it will implement a comprehensive development plan to become more prosperous, greater, and more powerful."
Stating that the President will resume his efforts to defend and promote individual rights, strengthen the family, look out for the interests of society and the state, and safeguarding the rights of victimised, oppressed, and disadvantaged people, Director of Communications Altun noted, "Erdoğan’s Türkiye will usher in the century of peace of mind, development, values, power, success, peace, science, the righteous, efficiency, stability, compassion, communication, the digital, production, and the future. The Century of Türkiye has already arrived. We are pleased to see our brothers and sisters, our friends, and our allies to stand with the strong and great Türkiye on this blessed day."