HOW DID WESTERN MEDIA COVER ERDOĞAN’S VICTORY IN SUNDAY’S PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF?

News Desk World
Leave a Comment on HOW DID WESTERN MEDIA COVER ERDOĞAN’S VICTORY IN SUNDAY’S PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF?

Mon 29 May 2023:

The Western media has covered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s victory in Sunday’s runoff election, and stressed the global and regional significance of Türkiye.

Extensively covering the runoff of the Turkish presidential election, the British public broadcaster BBC stressed that Erdoğan’s victory matters for the West given Türkiye’s global strategic significance which increased even further against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“The West used to describe Turkey’s strategic importance as the bridge between Europe and the Middle East – but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has transformed Turkey’s status,” it said, noting that world leaders rushed to congratulate Erdoğan’s election victory.

Skynews, a major private broadcaster in the UK, similarly underlined that “Türkiye holds a unique position in world politics — both as the junction between Europe and Asia and as the gatekeeper to the Black Sea.”

In a separate analysis, the broadcaster also said: “Erdoğan has once again proved critics wrong and out-maneuvered his toughest challengers.”

The major British daily Guardian said Erdoğan appealed for national unity in the victory speech he delivered to hundreds of thousands of Turkish citizens who gathered outside the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

Germany’s public television ARD highlighted that Erdoğan received messages of congratulations from all over the world on Sunday night on his election victory.

US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were among the leaders who congratulated Erdoğan for winning the historic presidential runoff, ARD reported.

“Erdoğan democratically won the elections in Türkiye,” reporter Uwe Lueb said in a commentary published on ARD’s website, adding that there have been no allegations of electoral fraud.

“Now he has mammoth political tasks ahead,” he stressed, referring to the economy, recovery efforts in the earthquake region, and the ongoing domestic debate about the Syrian refugee issue.

The weekly Der Spiegel reported that Turkish citizens living in Germany overwhelmingly voted for Erdoğan in the presidential runoff.

In France, the daily Le Figaro wrote on its website on Monday: “Erdoğan master of Türkiye for five more years,” and covered Erdoğan supporters’ celebrations in the country, while the daily Le Monde said the president won a third term.

The weekly Le Point on its website said Erdoğan’s victory was “no surprise,” and the daily Liberation on its headline said: “Türkiye: Erdoğan forever,” noting that the president’s supporters celebrated across the country on Sunday.

In Italy, the public broadcaster RAI stressed that numerous world leaders, including those of the major Western countries, congratulated Erdoğan on his reelection to the office.

The daily La Repubblica, citing Turkish citizens it interviewed, said Turkish people are convinced that Erdoğan “will fix the things.”

Belgium media outlets also covered Erdoğan’s victory. “Elections in Türkiye: Erdoğan, eternal winner” was the daily Le Soir’s website headline on Monday, while La Libre announced Erdoğan’s victory, as well.

Swiss newspapers similarly covered Erdoğan’s victory on Monday. World leaders congratulated Erdoğan, the daily Le Matin said, marking Erdoğan’s invincibility.

Very extensively covering the Turkish elections, the Greek public broadcaster noted that Erdoğan’s victory did not come as a surprise to Athens.

Speaking to ERT, Alexandros Diakopoulos, the former national security adviser, said that “the (Turkish) people want a strong leader and Erdoğan projects this model.”

The daily Kathimerini stressed Erdoğan’s promise of “the century of Türkiye.”

Another major daily, Ta Nea, said: “He (Erdoğan) won this election by literally standing alone against everyone.”

A columnist in the daily To Vima praised Erdoğan’s “pragmatic and accommodating foreign policy,” saying: “Türkiye needs the West and the West needs Türkiye.”

Bulgaria’s state-run news agency BTA shared the Turkish election results without much commenting on them.

Albania’s English-language Albanian Daily News highlighted the messages by world leaders and Türkiye’s strategic importance in the regional and global affairs.

According to unofficial results, the Turkish president won the race with 52.16%, while Kılıçdaroğlu got 47.84% of the vote, with around 85% voter turnout.

-Anadolu Agency

______________________________________________________________ 

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE) 
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent 

FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

Related Posts

MOLDOVA’S ELECTION TO JOIN THE EU DOWN TO SLIM MARGINS AMID ALLEGATIONS OF INTERFERENCE

FLY ASYLUM SEEKERS TO RWANDA PLAN ‘COMPLETELY MORAL’ UK’S TRUSS SAYS

UKRAINE CLAIMS STRIKE ON RUSSIAN BLACK SEA FLEET HQ KILLED NINE AND INJURED SENIOR OFFICERS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *