Turkey presidential election widely covered by US media

NEW YORK (AA) – The election of outgoing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Turkey's new president has been widely covered by the U.S. media. The New York Times reported that Erdogan, who has been in power for over 10 years, cruised to "what seemed to be an easy victory on Sunday that positioned him to be the dominant political figure here for at least five more years."
American news agency, the Associated Press, said that Erdogan had woved to transform the presidency from a largely ceremonial post into a powerful position. The wire service used Anadolu Agency's figures in its reporting of the latest exit polls. The Wall Street Journal said that Erdogan's easy win further consolidated his ruling. The newspaper said Erdogan's promise of creating a ''new Turkey'' gave him a strong mandate. American news channel CNN reported on its website, citing Anadolu Agency, that Erdogan was Turkey's first directly elected president by majority of vote.
Erdogan was elected Sunday by an absolute majority, securing 51.96 percent of the vote, according to unofficial counts. Without giving the exact numbers, the Supreme Election Board confirmed late Sunday that Erdogan had won outright, making a scheduled Aug. 24 run-off election unnecessary.