Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke to a crowd of his supporters in Üsküdar, Istanbul’s conservative district where the president has his main residency, celebrating his election win at 20:15, as counting of votes continued.
“We have completed the second round of the presidential election with the courtesy of our people. I am thankful to my nation, who gave us a feast of democracy,” Erdoğan said. “With their choice, our nation has given us once again the responsibility to govern the country for the next five years. I thank each and every member of the nation.”
While his speech focused on the “win” for all 85 million of Turkey’s population, Erdoğan still targeted the opposition, which was mostly united around the challenger, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
“This CHP, are they pro-LGBT?” Erdoğan asked the crowd. “The HDP, are they pro-LGBT? The small ones with them, are they pro-LGBT? And, could LGBTs infiltrate the AKP? The MHP?” Erdoğan said, riling up the crowd.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has a particularly progressive program, as well as the CHP. The “smaller ones” Erdoğan refers to include two breakaways from his own ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and another opposition party established by defectors of his current ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
“For us, family is sacred. Nobody can insult the family. Violence against women is forbidden, haram for us. Nobody can stoop to that. We will be at their throat. We will do all that we have promised our nation,” Erdoğan said.
A major point of friction in the country has been Erdoğan’s decision to withdraw Turkey from the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, with a presidential order in 2019, under pressure from fringe Islamist groups in the country. Government officials have repeatedly targeted Turkey’s LGBT community and feminist movement since, saying they sought to “spread LGBTism” and destroy the family.
As Erdoğan continued to speak, he was handed a piece of paper. Upon reading it, he mentioned the devastating twin earthquakes of 6 February for the first time in his speech.
“I thank our earthquake-stricken brothers in 11 provinces. They left containers and tent cities to go vote. May our Rab save us from anything worse,” Erdoğan said and repeated a promise to deliver permanent homes within a year to more than 12 million people affected by the earthquake in Turkey’s southeast and northern Syria.
