Turkish leader claims election victory ... and now he could rule by decree

TURKEY’S president Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory last night in the country’s most fiercely fought election in years.

Speaking on TV in Istanbul, Mr Erdogan, 64, pictured last night, said: ‘The nation has entrusted to me the responsibility of the presidency and the executive duty.’

The controversial hardliner also declared victory for the People’s Alliance formed between his ruling Justice and Development Party and the small Nationalist Movement Party, saying they had a ‘parliamentary majority’ in the 600-member national assembly.

However, the main opposition Republican People’s Party said it was too early to concede defeat.

Its candidate Muharrem Ince, Mr Erdogan’s main presidential rival, urged election monitors to remain at polling stations to help protect against possible election fraud, as final results came in from large cities where his party typically performs strongly. But Mr Erdogan said: ‘Our people have given us the job of carrying out the presidential and executive posts.

‘I hope nobody will try to cast a shadow on the results and harm democracy in order to hide their own failure.’

With 80 per cent of the votes counted he had secured 54 per cent of the vote. He needed 50 per cent to stay in power or be forced into a run-off with Mr Ince. Voter turnout was 87 per cent.

Mr Erdogan, running for a second fiveyear term, is in line to become the country’s first executive president with sweeping new powers that were narrowly approved in a referendum last year.

He will have the authority to pass laws by decree and exert control over the judiciary for the first time. The post of prime minister will be scrapped under the changes and parliament weakened.

Critics have said these powers will further erode democracy in the Nato member state and entrench one-man rule.

Turkey’s electoral commission said it would look into reports of ballot-stuffing and intimidation of observers in the southern Urfa province bordering Syria.

Police arrested three men with four sacks full of ballot papers in a car.