Erdogan confronts polarised Turkey after historic win

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday confronted the tough task of uniting his deeply divided country after winning a historic run-off election to extend his two-decade rule to 2028.

Turkey’s longest-serving leader brushed aside a powerful opposition coalition, a biting economic crisis and widespread anger following a devastating February earthquake to beat secular challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Sunday’s vote.

But the four-point victory margin was Erdogan’s narrowest of any past election, highlighting the sharp polarisation the Islamic-rooted conservative will contend with during his third and final term as president.

Erdogan attempted to sound conciliatory in a victory speech to thousands of jubilant supporters gathered outside Ankara’s presidential palace, calling on Turks to “come together in unity and solidarity”.

Kilicdaroglu remained defiant by vowing to “continue the struggle” against Erdogan and his AKP party, which has dominated Turkish politics since 2002.

Having harnessed a coalition of nationalist, conservative and religious voters, Erdogan “will double down on his brand of populist policies… political polarisation is here to stay”, said Emre Peker of the Eurasia Group consultancy.

Relieving Turks of the country’s worst economic crisis since the 1990s is one of Erdogan’s urgent priorities.

Years of development fuelled by infrastructure projects and a construction sector boom earned him huge popularity and a loyal voter base that has never abandoned him.

But inflation is now running at more than 40 percent, partly exacerbated by Erdogan’s unorthodox policy of cutting interest rates to try and cool spiralling prices.

Analysts say Erdogan’s lavish campaign spending pledges and unwavering attachment to lower interest rates will further strain banks’ currency reserves.

“The current set-up is just not sustainable,” noted Timothy Ash of BlueBay Asset Management, pointing to the tens of billions of dollars the central bank has blown to prop up the lira.