Erdogan wins Turkish presidential elections
Turkey's state-run broadcaster has declared prime minister Recep Erdogan the winner of the Turkish presidential elections.
Initial reports are suggesting that Erdogan gained more than the requisite 50 per cent of the vote, meaning he should avoid the need for a second round of ballots.
News agencies also reported that Erdogan's main rival, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, had managed to garner 38 or 39 per cent of the vote, with Selahattin Demirtas in third place with 9.5 per cent.
Erdogan's race to become President could mark a change in the role, with the largely symbolic duties traditionally expected of a Turkish President replaced by greater power.
Under the proposals Erdogan would be able to dissolve parliament and appoint cabinet minsters. The Economist quotes an opposition politician as saying "These are powers a Latin American dictator couldn’t dream of."
There are fears that, despite its economic prosperity under Erdogan's rise, Turkey is about to slip under ever more authoritarian rule. Growth is now starting to wither and inflation is up. Some even believe that Erdogan may lean on a puppet prime minister to call an early election; before the economy is dragged down further by geopolitical events in the region.