Turkish PM celebrates election victory in Istanbul

ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency

REUTERS photo

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Nov. 3 that the winner of the Nov. 1 election was “Turkey and its democracy.”

“There are no defeated sides in this election,” Davutoğlu said, speaking to supporters of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a first visit to Istanbul after its election victory on Nov. 1.

“The winner of this election was all 78 million [Turkish citizens], our nation, our democracy,” he added, speaking to a crowd near the Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport on Nov. 3.

According to preliminary results, the AKP won over 49 percent of the vote in the general election.

Davutoğlu also referred to Turkey’s 2002 elections, saying the nation entrusted the government to a young party with almost 35 percent of the vote. He said that 14 years later the AKP had reached similar vote rate to its high-water mark in 2011. 

“There has never been such a thing in world history,” the prime minister added.

Soon after Davutoğlu met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he arrived in Istanbul and told the crowd that he conveyed the president’s greetings.