PM Modi congratulates Turkish President Erdogan on election win

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election as President of Turkey. PM Modi said that he is confident that the bilateral ties between the two nations and cooperation on global issues will continue to grow. PM Modi tweeted, "Congratulations @RTErdogan on re-election as the President of Turkiye! I am confident that our bilateral ties and cooperation on global issues will continue to grow in the coming times."

PM Modi's congratulatory message on Twitter comes after Erdogan was declared the winner of Turkey's presidential runoff election on Sunday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won Turkey's presidential election, extending his rule to a third decade, CNN reported. He defeated opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a runoff vote on Sunday.

Erdogan received 27,513,587 votes or 52.14 per cent of the votes cast, CNN reported citing the figures released by the country's Supreme Election Council. Meanwhile, Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 25,260,109 votes or 47.86 per cent. Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed massive crowds of supporters at the Presidential Palace after being re-elected as President of Turkey, as per the CNN report. Addressing thousands of supporters outside the presidential palace, Erdogan celebrated his election to a third term and called the nation a "winner." He said, "We are not the only winners, the winner is Turkey. The winner is our nation with all its segments, our democracy is the winner," CNN reported.

"Now is the time to put aside all the debates and conflicts regarding the election period and unite around our national goals and dreams. We make this call with all our heart," he added. Erdogan's supporters gathered in Istanbul's Taksim Square and chanted his name. Hundreds of Erdogan's supporters stood outside the Istanbul headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party after preliminary results showed Erdogan in the lead. Some of the supporters came with children while others waved flags, honked car horns and set off flares and fireworks.

Hundreds gathered outside the Istanbul headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party after preliminary results showed Erdogan in the lead, as per the CNN report. Some of the supporters came with children while others waved flags, honked car horns and set off flares and fireworks. While speaking at his party headquarters in Ankara, Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said he would continue to fight until there is "real democracy" in Turkey. He called it the "most unfair election period" in Turkey's history.

Kilicdaroglu said, "This was the most unfair election period in our history... We did not bow down to the climate of fear. In this election, the will of the people to change an authoritarian government became clear despite all the pressures." He stressed that what makes him sad is "the hard days ahead for our country."