President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will chair his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) Central Executive Board on Tuesday. This will be the first meeting of the board after Sunday's municipal election and naturally, it will focus on the election's outcome.
In his first speech, after the initial unofficial election results were made public, Erdoğan acknowledged the failure to achieve success while hailing what he called the victory of democracy. Addressing a crowd gathered outside AK Party headquarters in the capital, Ankara, Erdoğan stated that the nation exhibited its will in the ballots without encountering any restraints and that it was a major gain for Turkish democracy. "The victor of this election is democracy, the nation's will, regardless of political views of the electorate," he said.
The president termed March 31 as "a turning point, not an end." The Turkish nation gave its message to the politicians. The winner of this election is Türkiye as a whole. The winner is democracy. We paid a high price for its sake," he said. His speech focused on the "embrace" of the nation as he thanked the citizens regardless of their political views. "I hope the results will be for the good of the cities," he said. Erdoğan noted that it was the AK Party's 18th test in elections. "We always succeeded, and we will continue to succeed. I believe in you; I believe in (future) victories."
Erdoğan, on the other hand, admitted that they could not achieve the desired result, especially nine months after the general and legislative elections, in which the AK Party emerged as the winner. "We worked intensely for the election. AK Party staff worked day and night, in harmony, with self-sacrifice," said Erdoğan, who toured 52 cities on the campaign trail over the past two months.
"As the AK Party, we will assess the results and engage in self-criticism. Results show we lost momentum. We will discuss the cause of this recession. We will detect problems and take necessary steps," he said. He repeated his motto of "there is a fate above fate," adding: "We will not disrespect our nation's will. We will not be stubborn. We will weigh the steps in an unbiased way. Ending this election is a gain for us. We have four years ahead. We are aware of our responsibilities. We will now work on resolving urgent issues, from the recovery of earthquake-hit regions to economic issues," he stated.
The president also thanked his party's partner in the People's Alliance, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and chairs of political parties declaring support for the alliance.
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli was quiet after the elections, but on Monday, he issued a lengthy statement pointing out that the AK Party was still governing despite the municipal losses. "Our revered nation's message through the ballots is crucial. MHP understood this message and started a multidimensional analysis of the outcome," he said. Bahçeli reiterated MHP's unconditional support for President Erdoğan.
"March 31 elections indicated that Turkish democracy reached a high standard and set an example in the world," he said. For Bahçeli, the outcome was a reflection of the "high reaction of the voters amid economic complaints that found its way into the political landscape," he said. "It is the product of a warped mindset to celebrate (the victory of the opposition) like a regime change took place in Türkiye," he said, lambasting calls for an early general election. "The Cabinet is at office and will continue leaps and reforms in every field," he said.
Bahçeli hit out at so-called "commentators" gracing TV screens to heap praise on the opposition and for "provocation." "There is no room for pessimism and despair. Our struggle and determination to serve the nation will continue with enthusiasm and without slowing down."
He said the People's Alliance would work harder, pursue a new approach to people, and eventually compensate for the losses in local administrations.
"I believe that every political party participating in the March 31 elections will draw their lessons from the results," he said. Bahçeli thanked President Erdoğan for tirelessly campaigning day and night for the election.
