
Turkey: Erdogan addresses supporters after election victory
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the country's presidential election Sunday with 51.8 percent of the vote in the first round, meaning there is no need for a run-off. His main opponents in the election were diplomat Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas. Erdogan addressed a crowd of cheering supporters in Istanbul after almost all votes had been counted.
This election marks the first occasion a Turkish head of state has been elected directly by the population. Previously the president had been selected by representatives in the Grand National Assembly.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the country's presidential election Sunday with 51.8 percent of the vote in the first round, meaning there is no need for a run-off. His main opponents in the election were diplomat Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas. Erdogan addressed a crowd of cheering supporters in Istanbul after almost all votes had been counted.
This election marks the first occasion a Turkish head of state has been elected directly by the population. Previously the president had been selected by representatives in the Grand National Assembly.