Erdogan sworn in for third term as Turkey's head of state

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Jun 2023 19:02

A ceremony is due to be held after the inauguration at Erdogan's palace in Ankara where dozens of world leaders are waiting for him.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures while he attends the 28th term deputies' oath-taking ceremony at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, Turkey on June 02, 2023. (AFP)

Turkey's winner in the country's latest presidential elections, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was officially sworn in on Saturday as President of the Turkish republic.

The inauguration took place in parliament where his supporters applauded and cheered for the country's longest serving leader while opposition lawmakers remained seated and silent.

"As president, I swear upon my honor and integrity, before the great Turkish nation ... to work with all my power to protect the existence and independence of the state ... and to fulfil my duty impartially," Erdogan said before lawmakers in parliament.

He also vowed not to lead the nation astray from the rule of law and safeguard the secular principles of the republic.

A ceremony is due to be held after the inauguration at Erdogan's palace in Ankara where dozens of world leaders are waiting for him.

These include Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Iran's vice president Mohammad Mokhber, Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the speaker of the lower house of Russia's parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin among many other guests, including Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Yemin Töreni | TBMM 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/XjzLO7F1Ti
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) June 3, 2023

On May 28, Erdogan earned 52.18 percent of the vote while opposition candidate and rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu won 47.82 percent.

Several experts are predicting geopolitical tensions to increase as a result of this victory.

"From a geopolitical point of view, the election will reinforce Turkey's recent pursuit of an independent foreign policy," Matt Gertken, chief geopolitical strategist at BCA Research, told AFP.

"This policy aims to extract maximum economic and strategic benefits from eastern and autocratic states while still preventing a permanent rupture in relations with western democracies," he said.

"Tensions with the West will likely increase again," Gertken added.

Newly sworn-in Erdogan will be prioritizing the nation's economy which is currently enduring the plight of 43.70 percent inflation.

On Saturday, he will be presenting his new cabinet with some speculating that former finance Mehmet Simsek could return.

Simsek, a well-reputed politician, and economist, is known to be critical of Erdogan's fiscal policies.

He served as the Deputy Prime Minister for the Economic and Financial Affairs of Turkey during 2015-2018, and previously assumed the roles of Minister of Finance between 2009 and 2015), and Minister of Economy (2007-09).

"Erdogan's government looks like it will pursue an orthodox stabilization program," Alp Erinc Yeldan, professor of economics at Istanbul's Kadir Has University, told AFP.

"What we see now is that the news about Mehmet Simsek and his team is greeted with enthusiasm by the markets," he added.