Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election as president gives him another five years to deepen his conservative influence in Turkish society and realize ambitions to increase the country's economic and geopolitical power. The election was closely followed by Turkey's NATO allies, including the US, who often viewed Erdogan as a disappointing ally due to his anti-Western rhetoric and close ties to Putin that have grown since Russia's invasion of Ukraine..

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At the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Erdogan showed no signs that he plans to change his policy abroad, where he tried to use Turkey's place at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East to expand his influence, or at home, where he consolidated his power and responded to the inflationary crisis with unconventional measures.. which, according to economists, exacerbated the problem.

He was challenged in the elections by the recently united opposition, who called the elections a watershed for Turkish democracy.. Opposition candidate Mr Kilidaroglu ran as an opponent of Erdogan, promising to restore civil liberties and improve ties with the West. He called himself closer to the struggle of the common people.

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Here are some key takeaways from the Turkish elections:.

Crises have hurt Erdogan, but not broken.

It was the toughest election in 20 years for Erdogan as Turkey's greatest politician, as prime minister since 2003 and as president since 2014. Prior to the first vote, most polls suggested a tight race with Kilicdaroglu, the other leader of the race..

Analysts have named several reasons why Erdogan may be struggling. Anger over the agonizing cost-of-living crisis of some voter sentiment against him. Powerful earthquakes in February killed more than 50,000 people and damaged hundreds of buildings in southern Turkey. Many quake survivors complained about the government's slow initial response, while the destruction raised the question of whether Erdogan's rush to develop the country did not encourage dangerous construction..

Turkey's historically divided opposition has put aside internal squabbles to unite over Kilicdaroglu and argued change is needed to stop the country's slide into one-man rule..

But Erdogan won thanks to the ardent support of a significant part of the population and his campaigning skills.. Religiously conservative Turks, who appreciate his expansion of the role of Islam in public life, supported him, and even many who were outraged by inflation said they did not believe that the opposition could govern better..

The earthquake did not really affect the elections.

Erdogan came to power 20 years ago amid anger over the government's disastrous response to the 1999 earthquake near Istanbul that killed more than 17,000 people. Therefore, many expected that this year's earthquake would also hurt his position..

But there are few signs that this is the case..

Erdogan took the lead in eight of the 11 provinces hit by the February earthquake. His ruling Justice and Development Party and its political allies fared even better, winning majorities in simultaneous parliamentary elections in all but one of the earthquake-hit provinces..

Participation in the elections in the regions of the earthquake zone was also high, despite concerns that many voters displaced by the destruction will find it difficult to return home to vote as required.. Although participation in the 11 provinces affected by the earthquake was below 88.9 percent of eligible voters, none of these provinces had turnout below 80 percent..

Interviews with earthquake survivors point to many reasons why the disaster did not change their political views.. Some have described the earthquake as an act of God that any government would have difficulty responding to.. Others whose homes were destroyed said they had more faith in Erdogan to rebuild the affected territories than his rival..

Terrorist reservations resonate with voters.

Erdogan has blasted the opposition by portraying its leaders as weak and incompetent, but one line of attack has proven particularly strong: accusations that they will be soft on terrorism..

The President repeatedly brought this argument to voters, based on the fact that the opposition received the support of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party.. The government often accuses the party of collaborating with Turkey's Kurdish minority militants who have been at war with the Turkish state for decades seeking autonomy..

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Erdogan even went so far as to show videos of his fake rallies to show militant leaders singing Kilidaroglu's campaign song.. Many voters believed him, saying in an interview that they did not trust the opposition for the security of the country..

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Voting was free but not fair.

International observers did not report the absence of large-scale problems with the process of collecting and counting votes, considering the process free.

But they noted the huge advantages Erdogan had before the vote began, including his ability to free up billions of dollars in public spending to try to offset the negative effects of inflation and other economic hardships, as well as abundant, positive publicly funded media coverage..

Late Sunday, Kilidaroglu did not deny the vote count, but told his supporters that the general election was "

Many in the political opposition fear that the proximity of the race will force Erdogan to crack down on his political opponents more aggressively to prevent such a tough challenge in the future..

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Now Erdogan must face economic problems.

Economists warn Erdogan has resorted to costly short-term tactics to insulate voters from inflation and prevent the national currency's value from falling further.. But he can't go on like this forever..

Turkey's foreign exchange reserves have plummeted, meaning the country could lose its ability to repay foreign creditors.. And since much of that money has been spent on keeping the currency stable, its value could drop sharply when that spending stops..

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Erdogan gave no indication during his campaign that he plans to change his economic policies despite persistently high, equivocal inflation, which economists say has been exacerbated by his insistence on lowering interest rates instead of raising them to fight inflation as orthodox.. economy. recommends.

Therefore, no matter what moves Erdogan would like to prioritize at the start of his new term, the risks of a currency crisis or recession are likely to require his attention..