Everyone who hoped that after more than 20 years Turkey could get a new man at the head of the country is bitterly disappointed: Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the old and new president.
His victory did not come just like that. As president, Erdogan had every opportunity to conduct his election campaign with a large media campaign: advertisements on state television and large-scale appearances across the country, all paid for from the state coffers.
And his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu? He had limited funds at his disposal from the party coffers, and he was not present in the already Gleichstalt media. It could also be presented like this: a race in which Erdoğan, served by professionals, drives Formula 1, and Kilicdaroglu drives a piece of junk.
The real reason for Erdogan's victory
There are three key reasons that influenced the election campaign and the result in Turkey.
First: In February, Turkey experienced a terrible natural disaster, a devastating earthquake that killed more than 51.000 people.
Second: the country is in a difficult economic situation, with the highest inflation in the last 20 years, there is also a high unemployment rate, especially among young people. And the brain drain of recent years further weakens the economy.
Third: since 2015, there has been a large number of refugees in the country, mainly from Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, according to UNHCR data, about 4 million of them. Both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu repeatedly said during the election campaign that they would solve the "refugee problem". How? Simply - "they will send them all home".
The majority of voters believe that solutions to all three problems will be found by the experienced Erdogan rather than opposition leader Kilicdaroglu, who has never been in the government.
How to proceed in Turkey?
In his first speech after the victory, on Sunday evening in Istanbul, Erdogan once again harshly attacked the opposition and the LGBTI+ community. This is a signal that the situation will continue to be difficult, both for the opposition and for the minorities in the country. Remaining in the election campaign mode, Erdogan told his voters from the roof of an open bus in Istanbul: "This victory is just the beginning. Next year, in the local elections, we will win Istanbul and Ankara again!"
This is the message to the mayors of the CHP party, Ekrem Imamoglu from Istanbul and Mansur Javas from Ankara.
It is also clear that Erdogan now urgently needs to do something to stimulate the economy in Turkey. Therefore, his statement in Istanbul, in which he emphasized the congratulations he received from the rich countries of the Persian Gulf, is not surprising: "I will go on a journey of gratitude to that region." This is a sign, according to experts, that he will be supplied with fresh capital there.
And the defeated leader of the opposition?
In many countries around the world, defeated candidates withdraw after defeat in the elections to make way for someone else and allow a fresh start. But this is not done in Turkey.
And that's why it wasn't a surprise when Kilicdarogu on Sunday evening, instead of announcing his resignation, said that he would remain at the head of his party, not wanting to disappoint those who supported him.
The question is whether this is the right signal for the unstable opposition.
The fact is: Erdogan will rarely have contact with CHP President Kilicdaroglu - who did not even win a mandate in the parliament - in the future.
And Erdogan has already secured a place in history: as the president who led the Republic of Turkey to its second century of existence, as a person who, including this five-year mandate, has significantly shaped Turkey for at least a quarter of a century.
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