With new mandate secured, Turkey’s Erdogan likely to continue engaging with both West and Russia

By SUZAN FRASER and ZEYNEP BILGINSOY
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — After securing a strong new mandate in a runoff presidential election, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan could temper some positions that have irritated his NATO allies. But observers predicted that the country’s longtime strongman leader is unlikely to depart from his habit of engaging with both the West and Russia. Erdogan won reelection Sunday with more than 52% of the vote. He must now confront skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis and rebuild in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people and leveled entire cities. Erdogan won partly due to the backing of conservative voters. They remain devoted to him for lifting Islam’s profile in Turkey and raising the country’s influence in international politics.