Turkey's PM Erdogan Wins Presidency After Election With Little Suspense

ISTANBUL — Voters in Turkey hit the polls Sunday for the country's first direct presidential elections — and few had any doubt what the results would be.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country's longest serving democratically elected leader, defeated his two rivals —Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a former diplomat, and Selahattin Demirtas, a young politician from the country's pro-Kurdish party — after a short and uneven campaign season.

See also: Turkey's Controversial Prime Minister Leads High-Stakes Presidential Election

He will replace outgoing president Abdullah Gul on Aug. 28, after stepping down as the leader of the Justice and Development Party, which he founded and has led for more than a decade. With 96% of the vote in, Erdogan had won more than 50% of the votes eliminating the need for a runoff. The participation rate was 72%. Read more...

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