Only Erdogan knows his plans for Turkey’s future. That is the problem

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has turned Turkey into a one-man show across his time in power. So, asks Borzou Daragahi, what does that mean for the next five years?

Supporters of Erdogan celebrate his win in Istanbul (Reuters)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed another five-year term as president, one which would extend his increasingly autocratic rule to a quarter century – after one of the biggest challenges he has faced in that time

Mr Erdogan claimed 52 per cent of the vote against the 48 per cent gained by challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The result, on the centenary of Turkey’s founding as a republic by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, will have a profound symbolic impact on the country, with Mr Erdogan saying that it opens the door to a “century for Turkey”.

Given Turkey’s geographic position as a bridge between West and East, the extension of Mr Erdogan’s reign will also have an impact on a number of global issues including the war in Ukraine, deliberations over the expansion of Nato, and the rivalry between the United States and China.