German chancellor congratulates Turkish president on election win

ANKARA

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his victory in Sunday's presidential runoff election.

In a phone call, Scholz congratulated Erdogan on his electoral success and wished the results to be beneficial for the Turkish people, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said in a statement.

Scholz also expressed hope for progress on common issues.

According to unofficial results, the Turkish incumbent won the race with 52.16% of the vote, while opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 47.84%.

On May 14, no candidate won the required 50% in the first round, triggering the presidential runoff, although Erdogan took the lead with 49.52%.​​​​​​ On that day, Erdogan’s electoral alliance also won a majority of seats in parliament.