Erdoğan pledges economic focus until next elections

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has outlined his administration's intentions to tackle economic challenges over the next four years leading up to the 2028 elections.

Addressing the nation in a video message on April 9, marking Eid al-Fitr, Erdoğan addressed the urgency of combating the high cost of living and inflation.

"We are determined to solve this issue, which hurts us as a nation along with the whole world, with God's permission," Erdoğan said.

The president expressed confidence that the positive impacts of the current economic program would become more apparent in the latter half of the year.

"We will use the four-year election-free period that emerged with the successful completion of the March 31 elections to achieve these goals," Erdoğan stated.

In the recent local elections, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) secured the highest number of votes for the first time since 1977, surpassing Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"I especially request our beloved nation, which has just come out of an election with a very high level of competition, to turn the spiritual climate of the holiday into an opportunity to resolve the resentments," Erdoğan urged.

Türkiye's next presidential polls are slated for 2028. In the previous election cycle, although Erdoğan finished first in the initial round with over 49 percent of the votes, a second round was required due to the requirement for the winning candidate to receive more than half of the votes.

Former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu emerged as the opposition candidate in the runoff, receiving around 45 percent of the tally in the first round. Ultimately, Erdoğan secured victory with more than 52 percent of the votes.

In recent diplomatic exchanges, Erdoğan held discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the phone, where bilateral relations, as well as global and regional issues, were on the agenda.

During the conversation, Erdoğan underscored the need to end Israel's attacks in Gaza promptly and urged greater efforts to implement the U.N. Security Council's ceasefire decision, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said in a statement.

The president also stressed the importance of "unity within the Islamic world in a result-oriented manner."

Additionally, Erdoğan extended congratulations to Prabowo Subianto on his victory in Indonesia's presidential election during another phone call, and he also had a conversation with outgoing leader Joko Widodo.