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Turkey elections: Tayyip Erdogan wins presidential race

Muhammad Irfan 08:05 AM | 25 Jun, 2018
Turkey elections: Tayyip Erdogan wins presidential race
ANKARA - Incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured a comfortable lead in t a tightly-contested presidential election.

With 97.7% of the votes counted, the electoral board pronounced the 64-year-old as the winner with an absolute majority.

Erdogan, who has led Turkey for the past 15 years, bagged 52.5% of the vote, while the runner-up in the contest, Muharrem Ince, received 30.8% and the only female candidate, Meral Aksener, 7.4%, international media reported.

Speaking on national television, Erdogan said: "The nation has entrusted to me the responsibility of the presidency and the executive duty.

"I hope nobody will try to cast a shadow on the results and harm democracy in order to hide their own failure."

But a shocking fact is that his AK party will have no longer total control on all areas of Turkish political life as it has lost its majority in the parliament.

Addressing thousands of supporters in Ankara, he said: “We will fight even more with the strength you provided us with this election.”

Erdogan reiterated his commitment to “fight terroristic organisations”, “to continue the fight to make the Syrian grounds freer” and to increase the “international prestige” of  Turkey, saying: “Turkey has no moment to waste, we know that.”

Today’s election is the first since Turkey switched to a presidential system of governance after the April 2017 constitutional referendum. The plebiscite effectively split Turkish society in half, as the amendment package passed by a close margin, securing 52 percent of the vote.

The victory allows Erdogan to further consolidate political power and implement the constitutional reforms. The powers in question include the abilities to pick cabinet ministers from outside of the legislature, pass laws by decree, single-handedly declare a state of emergency and launch extraordinary elections. The post of the prime minister is also set to be abolished.

The Turkish opposition, however, sees such changes as a power grab, which effectively destroys the country’s century-old parliamentary democracy. Erdogan’s closest competitor, Ince, vowed that he would lift the state of emergency within 48 hours if elected president and reverse all the constitutional reforms afterward.

Erdogan counters that view, saying “Turkey is staging a democratic revolution.”

“With the presidential system, Turkey is seriously raising the bar, rising above the level of contemporary civilizations.”

Drastic changes in Turkey’s political system followed a botched coup attempt in July 2016. Erdogan accused his late ally and now nemesis, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, of masterminding the coup. The cleric has firmly rejected the accusations.

Following the failed coup, Turkey has been under a state of emergency for nearly two years and has seen a widespread crackdown on alleged supporters of Gulen. Around 160,000 people have been detained, and thousands of public servants and soldiers have been fired.

Muhammad Irfan

The writer is a staff member. He has been affiliated with Pakistan's leading English newspapers and worked as News Producer at FM 107.4. Death (as...he believes...life is a station, and death is a longest journey from seen to ...

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Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal rates on June 1, 2023

KARACHI - Following are the foreign currency exchange rates for US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound Sterling, U.A.E. Dirham, European Euro, and other foreign currencies in Pakistan open market on June 1, 2023 (Thursday).

Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 310.9 314.15
Euro EUR 330 333.3
UK Pound Sterling GBP 382.5 386.3
U.A.E Dirham AED 84.8 85.6
Saudi Riyal SAR 82.2 83
Australian Dollar AUD 201 203
Bahrain Dinar BHD 758.25 766.25
Canadian Dollar CAD 227 229.2
China Yuan CNY 40.26 40.66
Danish Krone DKK 41.04 41.44
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.39 36.74
Indian Rupee INR 3.45 3.56
Japanese Yen JPY 2.25 2.45
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 927.17 936.17
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 61.94 62.54
New Zealand Dollar NZD 172.79 174.79
Norwegians Krone NOK 25.67 25.97
Omani Riyal OMR 740.96 748.96
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 78.37 79.07
Singapore Dollar SGD 220 222
Swedish Korona SEK 26.36 26.66
Swiss Franc CHF 315.04 317.54
Thai Bhat THB 8.21 8.36

Today's gold rates in Pakistan – June 1, 2023

KARACHI – The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 230,500 on Thursday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs197,620.   

Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs181,150 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 211,290.

Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Karachi PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Islamabad PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Peshawar PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Quetta PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Sialkot PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Attock PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Gujranwala PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Jehlum PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Multan PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Bahawalpur PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Gujrat PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Nawabshah PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Chakwal PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Hyderabad PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Nowshehra PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Sargodha PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Faisalabad PKR 230,500  PKR 2125
Mirpur PKR 230,500  PKR 2125

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