US respects decision of Turkish voters: State Dept

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) – The State Department said late Monday the U.S. respects the choices made by Turkish voters in presidential and parliamentary elections held over the weekend.

"We respect the decision of the Turkish voters and look forward to a constructive relationship with President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan as we jointly confront common challenges," the State Department told Anadolu Agency in a written statement.

In the statement, it also noted that the U.S. encourages all elected Turkish representatives, including President Erdogan, to represent the diverse views of all Turkish citizens and to strengthen Turkey’s democracy.

Turkey on Sunday went to the polls for presidential and parliamentary elections in which Erdogan won the Turkish presidency, according to preliminary results.

With 99.6 percent of the ballots counted, Erdogan is leading with 52.58 percent of the vote while his closest rival, Muharrem Ince, is lagging behind at 30.64 percent.

In Sunday’s parliamentary polls, the People's Alliance -- a coalition of Erdogan's Justice and Development (AK) Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) -- won 53.6 percent of the vote.

Several world leaders have sent Erdogan congratulations following the victory, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May.