Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said local elections in Turkey were concluded in a “manner befitting our democracy,” describing democracy and the national will as “the winner of the election.
“March 31 is not the end for us, but a turning point. The Turkish people have once again used the ballot box in local government elections as an opportunity to convey their messages to politicians,” Erdogan said in an address to citizens.
“Regardless of the results, the winner of these elections is above all our democracy, the national will,” he said.
The Turkish president said that all 85 million people, regardless of their political affiliation, won the election marathon.
“And Turkey was the winner before the candidate,” he said.
Erdogan also stressed that his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK) “did not get the result it wanted and hoped for in the election.”
After that, he announced that he would most objectively weigh the messages that the people sent to his party in the elections and make the necessary interventions.
He added that there is nothing greater than the power of the people’s will.
“There are no losers in this victory,” he added.
The leader of the winning CHP, Ozgur Ozel, said that the outcome of the election “will not be a defeat for anyone”.
“There are no losers in this victory. Our success is not a defeat for anyone, it will not be a defeat for anyone,” Ozel said.
He urged all citizens not to feel defeated, regardless of which party they voted for in the elections, Klix.ba reports.