Erdogan to win Turkish presidency: first round initial results

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was set to triumph in Sunday's presidential elections and extend his domination of Turkey, despite warnings by opponents that the country is moving towards a one-man autocracy. Duration: 02:10

Published

7 months ago

Categories

World

Topics

Politics & Government, Europe

People

Ahmet Davutoglu, Abdullah Gul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Stuart Williams

Places

Turkey, Ankara, Istanbul, Diyarbakir

Transcript

SHOTLIST ISTANBUL, 10 AUGUST 2014 SOURCE: AFPTV -VAR of people voting at a polling station in the capital -Arrival of Erdogan's convoy at school polling station SOURCE: CIHAN NO RESALE FOR NON EDITORIAL PURPOSES -VAR Erdogan entering the polling station SOURCE: AFPTV -VAR Erdogan and his wife Emine leaving the polling station -main opposition rival Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in the polling station -Ihsanoglu voting DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY, 10 AUGUST 2014 SOURCE: CIHAN NO RESALE FOR NON-EDITORIAL PURPOSES - Demirtas arriving at the polling station - Demirtas with the journalist inside the polling station - Demirtas taking a ballot paper and going to vote SOUNDBITE 1 Aydin Gultekin (man, Turkish, 15 sec): "Everybody has the right to have a different opinion, everyone has their political views, but for our country to remain stable and for the growth we have now to continue, I think we need Erdogan." SOUNDBITE 2 Elif Sirin (woman, Turkish, 15 sec): "We are very excited because the people can elect the president directly. That wasn't the case before. It is important that people choose because it's an expression of the national will. May the best candidate win." SOURCE: CIHAN NO RESALE FOR NON EDITORIAL PURPOSES SOUNDBITE 3 Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister (man, Turkish, 10 sec): "It's the first time our nation votes to directly elect without intermediary its president. It's really very important." SOUNDBITE 4 Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, main opposition presidential candidate (man, Turkish, 28 sec): "The situation in our country is very tense. It is imperative that this election allows society not to be worried, divided and polarised. At the end of this campaign, I want to thank those who supported me and I remember my respect for all citizens, regardless of their choice of candidate, because that's also democracy." SOURCE: CIHAN NO RESALE FOR NON EDITORIAL PURPOSES SOUNDBITE 5, Selahattin Demirtas, Opposition candidate (man, Turkish, 15sec) "It's only the begining today. For all the people whose rights have been despised and crushed, for all the minorities and all those who are left aside, for all who always make efforts, for the productive force of this country, for the workers and labourers, it's a new start." /// ----------------- AFP TEXT STORY:  Turkey-vote,newseries-WRAP Erdogan eyes presidential triumph in Turkey polls by Stuart WILLIAMS, Dilay GUNDOGAN ISTANBUL, Aug 10, 2014 (AFP) - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was set to triumph in Sunday's presidential elections and extend his domination of Turkey despite warnings by opponents that the country is moving towards a one-man autocracy. Erdogan, 60, a devout Muslim who has served as premier since 2003, has promised to be a powerful president with a beefed-up mandate, in contrast to the ceremonial role fulfilled by his recent predecessors. The polls are the first time Turkey is directly electing its president, who was previously chosen by parliament. Initial reports from polling stations -- where AFP correspondents saw a thin turnout -- indicated participation could be significantly lower than the 89 percent seen in March's local elections. Opinion polls predict that Erdogan will easily win more than 50 percent of votes to take Ankara's Cankaya presidential palace in the first round, with his main opposition rival, the cerebral Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, lagging far behind. "Our people will make an important decision for Turkish democracy," said Erdogan as he cast his vote in Istanbul alongside his wife Emine and two daughters and two sons. Erdogan indicated that he planned to revamp the post to give the presidency greater executive powers, which could see Turkey shift towards a system more like that of France if his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) succeeds in changing the constitution. "This decision has significance in that an elected president, hand-in-hand with an elected government, will lead Turkey... in a determined fashion," he said. - 'Unfair campaign' - --------------------- Erdogan's opponents accuse him of undermining the secular legacy of Turkey's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who established a strict separation between religion and politics when he forged the new state from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. "A ballot paper with only one name does not represent the democracy, it does not suit Turkey," said Ihsanoglu, 70, as he cast his ballot in Istanbul. He complained that the campaign had been "unfair, disproportionate", nonetheless predicting that the votes of the "silent masses" would help him to victory. Erdogan ran a lavish three-month campaign that swamped those of his rivals, his face glaring down at pedestrians in Istanbul from gigantic billboards at almost every street corner. The campaign of Ihsanoglu -- a bookish former head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) -- has been modest by comparison and Erdogan belittled his main rival as a dreamy academic who will get nothing done. While many secular Turks detest Erdogan, he can still count on a huge base of support from religiously conservative middle-income voters, particularly in central Turkey and poorer districts of Istanbul, who have prospered under his rule. "I voted for Erdogan because I believe he is the only leader who can run the country properly. He has helped feed the poor and reached out to a larger section of our society," Zahide, 52, a retired nurse, after voting in Istanbul. But Ozlem, 24, a university student, said she voted for Ihsanoglu: "Our country is at a turning point. It's either democracy or dictatorship. Everyone should come to their senses." Some 53 million voters in the country of 76 million were registered to vote, with polls due to close at 1400 GMT. Results are expected to come in rapidly and many suspect Erdogan is already planning a victory speech from the balcony of AKP headquarters in Ankara around midnight. All alcohol sales are banned until midnight in a bid to minimise the risk of any election-related unrest. - 'Today is a beginning' - -------------------------- The third candidate Selahattin Demirtas, 41, from Turkey's Kurdish minority, is hoping to attract votes not just from Kurds but also secular Turks with a left-wing, pro-gay and pro-women's rights message. "Today is a beginning. It is a beginning for all those oppressed, marginalised, those earning their bread by the sweat of their brow," he said as he cast his vote in the city of Diyarbakir. But even though his charisma, flashing grin and fondness for white shirts with rolled-up sleeves have earned him the moniker "the Kurdish Obama" in some quarters, he would do well to poll 10 percent of the vote. Erdogan endured the toughest year of his rule in 2013, shaken by deadly mass protests sparked by plans to build a shopping mall on Gezi Park in Istanbul that grew into a general cry of anger by secular Turks who felt ignored by the AKP. Later in the year, stunning corruption allegations emerged against the premier and his inner circle, including his son Bilal based on bugged conversations that enthralled the country like a soap opera. The future of outgoing president Abdullah Gul, a co-founder of the AKP who appears to have distanced himself from Erdogan, is unclear, with many tipping Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as a possible choice to be premier. Recalling that he was the last Turkish president to be elected by parliament, Gul said afer voting that he wished Turkey proceeds "on its path by keeping its democracy and law stronger and consolidating its economy." fo-dg-sjw/er