Palestinian bakery owner in New York celebrates Erdogan's election win by distributing falafel

By Tugcenur Akgun

NEW YORK (AA) - A Palestinian bakery owner in New York City celebrated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's victory Sunday in runoff elections by distributing a traditional food -- falafel.

The owner and employees of Al-Aqsa Bakery and Restaurant in Brooklyn, which is known for its Palestinian cuisine, marked the occasion by wearing T-shirts featuring the Turkish flag. They distributed falafel to neighboring business owners and passersby to commemorate Erdogan's electoral win.

Falafel, a popular Middle Eastern dish, is made from ground chickpeas mixed with herbs and spices and then deep-fried or baked into small, round balls or patties.

Playing the song "Dombra," a campaign song composed for Erdogan, on the streets of Brooklyn, the owner said "Mr. President, congratulations.”

According to unofficial results, the Turkish incumbent won the race with 52.14% of the vote, while opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 47.86%, said Ahmet Yener, chairman of the Supreme Election Council (YSK). He added that 99.43% of the ballot boxes had been opened so far.

More than 64.1 million Turkish citizens were registered to vote, including over 1.92 million who earlier cast their ballots at overseas polling stations.