World leaders hail Erdoğan on local vote win

ISTANBUL 

Leaders across the world have congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his party’s win in local elections.

The leaders called Erdoğan after unofficial results showed the Justice and Development Party (AKP) won nearly 45 percent of the vote in local elections, according to Turkish presidential sources.

Leaders congratulating Erdogan include Russia's Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairman Milorad Dodik, former Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegovic, Guinean President Alpha Conde, and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

In a phone call, Putin congratulated Erdoğan on April 1. 

Additionally, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted yesterday: “I am delighted to congratulate a friend of Pakistan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on another important victory in the Turkish local elections.”

“The people of Pakistan wish him many more successes,” he added. Khan later called Erdogan and congratulated him on success in local polls.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci also congratulated his Turkish counterpart over the phone for his party’s success in Sunday’s vote.

Click here for local election results in Şırnak according to Anadolu Agency

Click here for local election results in Rize according to Anadolu Agency

At home, the head of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, as well as former prime ministers Tansu Çiller and Mesut Yılmaz also sent congratulations to Erdoğan.

The ruling AKP led the weekend local elections, capturing 15 metropolitan municipalities, according to early results as of yesterday morning.

AKP candidates got the support of 44.42 percent of voters on March 31, beating the 30.07 percent draw of the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP), which won mayoral races in 11 metropolitan municipalities.

On March 31, millions of Turkish citizens cast ballots in the local elections to choose Turkey’s mayors, city council members, neighborhood officials and members of elder councils for the next five years.