ONLY WINNER IS TURKIYE: ERDOGAN CL AIMS VICTORY IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

ISTANBUL TURKIYE

A G E N C I E S

PR E S I D E N T Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory in Turkiye s presidential election on Sunday, a win that would steer his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade

Addressing supporters Erdogan said voters had given him the responsibility to rule for the next five years The only winner is Turkiye he said addressing cheering supporters from atop a bus in Istanbul Final official results have yet to be released

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O G A N: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Erdogan ahead of the final official results saying that he was one of few world leaders whose politics has been anchored in public service “He has been a pillar of strength for the oppressed Muslims and a fervent voice for their inalienable rights His presidential victory and that of AKP in parliamentary elections is significant in so many ways, reflecting the trust and confidence of the Turkish people in his dynamic leadership “The bilateral relations between Pakistan and Turkiye will continue to stay on an upward trajectory I keenly look forward to working with him to further deepen our strategic partnership in line with the excellent brotherhood between our two peoples, Shehbaz tweeted

F M B I L AWA L G R E E T S E R D O G

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the

“historic victory reflects the trust of the Turkish nation in his visionary leadership Wishing Türkiye eternal peace and prosperity as we continue our unique journey of brotherhood There was no immediate response to Erdogan s victory speech from his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu The election had been seen as one of the most consequential yet for

Fre s h c l a s h e s c l a i m 4 2

l i ve s i n M a n i p u r

NEW DELHI

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Around 40 suspected militants and two policemen have died in fresh violence in Manipur in northeast India an official said confirming comments from the state s chief minister to local media Manipur has been on edge after an explosion of inter-ethnic violence this month killed at least 70 people and left tens of thousands displaced The state government official who did not wish to be named said that Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh told reporters earlier on Sunday that security forces killed around 40 militants over the last two days

“The terrorists have been using M16 and AK-47 assault rifles and sniper guns against civilians They came to many villages to burn down homes,” local media quoted Singh as saying We have started taking very strong action against them with the help of the army and other security forces We have got reports some 40 terrorists have been shot dead, Singh was quoted as saying A military source confirmed an uptick of unrest and said four people had been killed in the past 24 hours

At least three armed miscreants who were trying to set fire to empty houses, and fired at the security forces when they tried to stop them, died in retaliatory firing,” the source said, declining to be named One more armed miscreant was killed in Moreh and three others including two security personnel were injured, the source said

Biden, McCar thy reach final deal to avoid U.S. default and now must sell it to Congress

WA S H I N G TO N: U S President Joe Biden on Sunday finalized a budget agreement with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend the $31 4 trillion debt ceiling until January 1 2025 and said the deal was ready to move to Congress for a vote This is a deal that s good news for the American people, Biden told reporters at the White House after a call with McCarthy to put the final touches to a tentative deal they struck on Saturday night “Good news,” Biden declared Sunday evening at the White House

Turkiye with the opposition believing it had a strong chance of unseating Erdogan after his popularity was hit by a cost-of-living crisis

Instead, victory will reinforce his image of invincibility, after having already redrawn domestic, economic, security and foreign policy in the Nato member country of 85 million people and positioned Turkiye as a regional power

Supporters gathered at his Istanbul residence in anticipation of victory as data reported by both state-run Anadolu agency and the opposition ANKA news agency gave him the edge with nearly 99 per cent of ballot boxes counted The head of the High Election Board earlier told a news conference that Erdogan was leading Kilicdaroglu with 54 47pc support with 54 6pc of ballot boxes logged Erdogan head of the Islamist-rooted AK Party, appealed to voters with nationalist and conservative rhetoric during a divisive campaign that deflected attention from deep economic troubles