Controversial Erdogan wins re-election in Turkey

By Curt Mills, Curt Mills

Published December 20, 2015

Turkish President Recep Erdogan's AKP party won a majority in that country's parliament Sunday, securing re-election for Erdogan.

Erdogan is a controversial figure in the Middle East and Europe for his opposition to a Kurdish state, with some critics charging he focuses more on that than eradicating the Islamic State, which operates near Turkey. Critics also charge he has a shaky record on human rights and a wavering commitment to the free press, all while affording himself a lavish lifestyle at public expense.

Still, Erdogan remains popular, with his party not only winning re-election and a plurality of seats, but expanding his hold on power Sunday with an AKP absolute majority, The Guardian reports.

There were great fears inside Turkey and abroad about the possibility of perhaps substantial election fraud, but so far, such reports have been very minimal.