Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the nation at the AK Party Headquarters in Ankara regarding the local elections on March 31.
President Erdoğan's notable remarks are as follows:
"My dear nation, dear residents of Ankara, esteemed brothers and sisters, I greet you all with heartfelt feelings, affection, and respect. From here, from the AK Party Headquarters, I greet with respect all of Türkiye, each of the 85 million citizens.
I extend my sincere thanks to each of you for your support and gratitude. I praise God for granting me loyal companions, comrades in our cause, like you. As a nation and as the Islamic world, we are observing the Sultan of the eleven months, the Ramadan. First and foremost, I congratulate not only you but the entire nation and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
We pray to God to help and assist our brothers and sisters in Gaza who are spending these blessed days under bombs.
We say, 'May God bless us to reach Ramadan and, God willing, to reach the holiday with health, peace, and our loved ones.'
Praise be to God, we have completed the March 31 Local Administration Elections with the maturity befitting our democracy. Except for some isolated incidents, there were no unfortunate events that would overshadow the election atmosphere. In the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions, we witnessed the pressures and insults of the separatist organization's 'slaves' towards our citizens.
But with the effective interventions of our security forces, there were no serious problems. Thanks to the prudence of our citizens and the sacrifices of our security forces, Turkish democracy once again proved its maturity.
Here, I must express one point first and foremost. As you know, elections are the most critical days for democracies. The people's will is manifested at the ballot box. The nation speaks through the ballot box. The nation communicates its warnings and approvals to politicians through the ballot box. The nation expresses its decision through the ballot box without encountering any pressure, imposition, or manipulation, which is a great gain for our democracy.
In the March 31 Local Administration Elections, the Turkish nation once again communicated its messages to the politicians through the ballot box.
Regardless of the results, the winner of this election is primarily our democracy, our national will, and all 85 million regardless of their political views. In the election marathon, Türkiye, our nation, and our democracy, for which we have paid heavy prices, have won before the candidates.
Today, everyone who has strengthened the power of the ballot by exercising their democratic rights, alongside those who voted for the AK Party and the People's Alliance, has won.
I sincerely thank all citizens who freely expressed their will at the ballot box, regardless of their political party.
I also extend my heartfelt thanks to the election committees, polling officials, and security personnel who worked with a strong sense of responsibility.
I wish the election results to be beneficial for our country, our nation, our cities, our neighborhoods, and our villages.
Brothers and sisters, we have always stood by reason, patience, and dignity. We have always been on the side of democracy, national will, and the ballot box. Today, we are acting with the same sense of responsibility. We have never hesitated to respect, congratulate, accept, and submit to the will of the people. Today, I congratulate the mayors of metropolitan municipalities, provincial, district, and township mayors, municipal council members, provincial general assembly members, mukhtars, and council members who have been elected by our people.
I wholeheartedly believe that they will strive to fulfill the demands of the city and its residents without falling into complacency during their terms of office. As the government, we will continue to support all locally elected officials in the beneficial works they will do for their cities, just as we have done so far.
I wish once again that the results of the March 31 Local Government Elections will be beneficial for our country and cities.
