In his first speech following the municipal elections on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) chairperson, hailed what he called the victory of democracy, NewsGlobalUS.com reports citing Daily Sabah.
Addressing a crowd gathered outside AK Party headquarters in the capital Ankara, Erdogan stated that the nation exhibited its will in the ballots, without encountering any restraints and that it was a major gain for Turkish democracy.
"The victor of this election is democracy, the nation’s will, regardless of political views of the electorate," he said.
As Erdogan took to the balcony of the party building per post-election tradition, loudspeakers blared with an old campaign song of the AK Party emphasizing the unity of Türkiye.
"We concluded the March 31 elections with a maturity appropriate for our democracy. There weren't any incidents that would overshadow the elections. But we witnessed servants of a separatist organization engaging in acts of pressure and insults toward citizens in the east and southeast," he said, referring to the PKK terrorist group.
"Thanks to the common sense of our citizens, Turkish democracy proved its maturity again. Elections are the most critical days of democracies and people voice their choice through ballots," he said.
The president termed March 31 as "a turning point, not an end."
"The Turkish nation gave its message to the politicians. The winner of this election is Türkiye as a whole. The winner is democracy. We paid a high price for its sake," he said.
His speech focused on the "embrace" of the nation as he thanked the citizens regardless of their political views. "I hope the results will be for the good of the cities," he said.
Erdogan noted that it was the AK Party's 18th test in elections. "We always succeeded, and we will continue to succeed. I believe in you, I believe in (future) victories."
