lea e e gan se es ANOT HER FIVE YEAR TERM BY MERE FOUR PERCENT

e ’s s ngman

TOP of the international news agenda in recent days has been the unprecedented presidential re-run election in Turkey last weekend after the first round two weeks ago failed to produce a winner with the required 50 per cent of the vote. On Sunday evening, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power for the last two decades, emerged victorious, winning 52 per cent of the vote against his opponent’s 48 per cent and securing a new fiveyear term in power.

Having already examined in this column the background and significance of this election after the first round, it would be superfluous to write about it further – apart, that is, from emphasising that the nation’s strategic significance has not changed so that Erdogan’s victory matters to the West. Most importantly, over the years he has become known for his independent foreign policy. Turkey is a key member of NATO and provides military aid to Ukraine. But it also maintains close links with Russia, including bilateral trade and contributing to the UN-brokered grain deal. It refuses to condemn the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine but agreed to Finland joining NATO. The West needs Erdogan as an ally and will surely now try to persuade him to approve Sweden’s NATO membership.

Meanwhile, with Turkey’s economy in a dire state with roaring inflation, it is said that Erdogan will need to stabilize the country’s finances and attract foreign investment while also taking action to restore trust over his so-called mishandling of the disaster of February’s earthquakes. Immigration from Syria is another major issue.

In his victory speech, political heavyweight Erdogan called for unity while at the same time ridiculing his opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who in the end was no match for the winner’s welldrilled campaign and emphasis on the strength, continuity and stability that a sitting president could offer. However, the experts point to the stark fact that almost half of the electorate in this deeply polarized country did not back Erdogan’s authoritarian vision of Turkey. So observers await developments in this important country with interest and even some concern.