Recep Tayyip Erdogan's landslide election triumph on Sunday puts paid to any question about his legitimacy. As the Hurriyet newspaper, a traditional voice of the secular, liberal elites, put it: "He has been embraced by the people".

His is not only a personal victory but a huge stride forward for Turkey. Turkish voters have passed judgment on the dangerous confrontation over electing a new president between the army and Mr Erdogan's neo-Islamist Justice and Development party (AKP). They have come out decisively for democracy.