Erdogan vows ‘new era’ in Turkey after ‘historic’ election win

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves to the crowd on top of a bus in downtown Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. Turks were voting in their first direct presidential election Sunday _ a watershed event in Turkey’s 91-year history, where the president was previously elected by Parliament. Erdogan on Sunday vowed a “new era” of reconciliation in Turkey after winning a “historic” victory in the presidential elections. AP PHOTO/EMRAH GUREL

ANKARA, Turkey–Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday vowed a “new era” of reconciliation in Turkey after winning a “historic” victory in presidential elections.

“Today we are closing an era and taking the first step for a new era,” Erdogan said in a victory speech from the balcony of his party headquarters in Ankara, promising a “new social reconciliation process.”

He thanke “each and every citizen, whether they voted for me or not, who contributed to the writing of history on such a historic day,” adding that the “debates of the past” would now be left behind.