Turkey's Erdogan: Election over, now judiciary decides

ANKARA

Five days after Sunday’s local polls across Turkey, the election itself is over but the judicial process continues, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

“If the results of the provincial [electoral councils] don’t overlap with ours, then the Supreme Electoral Council is the final decision-maker for us,” Erdogan said following Friday prayers in Istanbul.

“It is our right to apply to it,” he added, referring to the ruling Justice and Development (AK) seeking recounts in major cities like Istanbul and Ankara.

The People’s Alliance in the March 31 elections, made up of the AK Party and Nationalist Movement (MHP), got 53.3% of the vote and won 25 of Istanbul’s 39 district municipalities, said Erdogan.

Erdogan said the AK Party was victorious in 15 of Turkey's 30 metropolitan municipalities.

Furthermore, he pointed out that AK Party won 511 of 911 districts in Turkey while the MHP won 135, meaning 70% of the district municipalities were won by the People’s Alliance.

Erdogan also criticized Ekrem Imamoglu, main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Istanbul mayoral candidate, for visiting Ataturk's mausoleum Anitkabir in the capital Ankara while the election results are still unclear.

He then accused the U.S. and Europe of being two-faced and attempting to interfere with Turkey by weighing in on the process since the elections.

"You have repeatedly raised such objections in your countries," he said, adding that both the U.S. and Europe have seen multiple cases of candidates and parties objecting to poll results.

"Now they’re trying to interfere with Turkey's internal affairs. But they should know that Turkey is no ordinary country. With voter turnout of 82-83%, Turkey gave a lesson in democracy to the whole world," he asserted.

Russian S-400 missile system

Asked about an upcoming visit to Russia, Erdogan said its sale of S-400 missile defense systems to Turkey would be a significant topic of discussion.

“We have concluded the process regarding the S-400s, and our payments for the S-400s continue,” he said.

He underlined that Turkey had wanted to buy Patriot missile defense system from the U.S., but Washington’s terms and conditions failed to match Moscow’s offer. “That’s why we’re not leaning towards it [U.S. offer] now.”

Erdogan also touched on the issue of the deal to buy U.S. F-35 aircraft, whose delivery has turned controversial due to Washington's pressure against Turkey's purchase of S-400s from Russia.

"Two of them [F-35s] were delivered to us, they are in the U.S. now [for training]. They have delivered the third one, and the fourth will be delivered shortly, I've been saying that for weeks. They will deliver the fourth one as well," he said.

Erdogan cited NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's recent comments calling S-400 procurement a "national decision."

He added that Stoltenberg has also said the transatlantic alliance cannot decide what defense systems and equipment member states buy.