Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared victory in his country’s presidential election, extending his rule into a third decade.
In his first comments since the polls closed on Sunday, Erdogan spoke to supporters on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul.
“I thank each member of our nation for entrusting me with the responsibility to govern this country once again for the upcoming five years,” said Erdogan, the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
He ridiculed his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, for his loss, saying “bye bye bye, Kemal,” as supporters booed.
“The only winner today is Turkey,” Erdogan said, after unofficial results gave him the win in the second round of voting.
