Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in power for 20 years, was sworn in before parliament on Saturday for a third five-year term, vowing to take office with “impartiality.”
The 69-year-old Turkish head of state was re-elected on May 28 with 52% of the vote, in the second round of the presidential elections.
Erdogan plans to visit the mausoleum of the founder of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, before protocol ceremonies at the presidential palace and an evening dinner, after which the composition of his government will be announced.
“As President, I promise to protect the existence and independence of the State, the integrity of the homeland, the unconditional sovereignty of the nation, the rule of law and the principle of a secular republic”, as conceived by Ataturk, “the father of the Turks”, declared the president, known for defending Islamo-conservative positions.
According to the official press, around 20 heads of state and government confirmed their presence at the ceremonies, including the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pachinian, despite the historical tension between the two countries.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed his presence as he tries to lift the Turkish veto on Sweden’s entry into the Atlantic Alliance, if possible before the organization’s summit in July.
Ankara continues to accuse Sweden of hosting Kurdish refugees whom it considers “terrorists”.
In the presidential elections held last Sunday, Erdogan, forced to run for the first time in a second round, obtained 52.18% of the votes compared to 47.82% for his opponent, the Social Democrat Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, according to official results. released this Thursday. fair.
Source: TSF
