North Atlantic Treaty Organisation chief congratulates Erdogan on Turkey election win

Mr Putin told Mr Erdogan that the results of the election were a testament to his political authority and the broad support for his leadership, according to the Kremlin.

Turkey’s High Electoral Board declared Erdogan, 64, the victor of Sunday’s votes, which usher in a new executive presidential system in which the prime minister’s post is eliminated and executive powers are transferred to the president, who rules with only limited checks and balances.

Erdogan also warned anyone against casting doubt on the results: “I hope nobody will harm our country’s democracy by casting a shadow on the election system and its results in order to disguise their failure”.

The People’s Alliance, between Erdogan’s AK Party and the nationalist MHP, also secured a parliamentary majority with a combined share of 53.7 percent, according to the unofficial results.

Erdogan has transformed Turkey first as prime minister from 2003 to 2014 and then as president, giving Islam a greater role in public life and giving the country a much more assertive profile on the global stage.

The president’s supporters say the new system will make Turkey safer and stronger.

Erdogan, 64, is loved by millions of devoutly Muslim working class Turks for delivering years of stellar economic growth and overseeing the construction of roads, bridges, hospitals and schools.

A handout image made available by the CHP Press Office on June 25, 2018, shows Muharrem Ince, defeated presidential candidate of main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), holding a news conference the day after the nation went to the polls.

But there are still a few checks on his power: He can not call new elections without the support of three-fifths of parliament (or 360 legislators), and the parliament is still in charge of approving the president’s budget and his continued use of emergency powers. Ince polled a respectable 30.6 percent but failed to force a second round. There were numerous allegations of electoral fraud and voter intimidation on Sunday, though turnout was high at 87 percent.

But in a comment regarded as ungracious by some on social media, Kilicdaroglu said Ince’s vote was “below expectations”.

“Added to this, the recent relationship between Turkey and the European Union has been increasingly fractious and another term for president Erdogan probably means a lower probability of a normalisation in his relationship with western counterparts”, he added.

President Erdogan remains favourite to hold on to presidency – even if he needs a second round.

He won the last presidential election in 2014 after completing two terms as prime minister. Nor did he miss the chance to lock up a number of opposition members.

Nationalist politician Meral Aksener, tipped for a breakthrough after founding her new Iyi (Good) Party, suffered a disappointing night coming fourth with 7.3 percent.

The appeal of the MHP – as well as the emergence of a new nationalist party in parliament, the Iyi or Good Party – indicates that Turkey will only continue to strengthen its nationalist policy at home and overseas.

“A single person is becoming the head of the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary and this is a concern for a threat to the survival of the country”, he told journalists.

The main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a weekend presidential election said Monday he accepted results handing victory to the Turkish strongman in the first round.

Aiming to have a growing influence in the Middle East, Erdogan will intensify his relationship with Russian Federation over Syria.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from Manbij and on stability in the region.

In August 2016, Turkey conducted a military operation, Operation Euphrates Shield, in northern Syria to clear out Daesh and PKK terrorists from its borders.