Erdogan, apart from Istanbul, suffered another blow in the capital Ankara, the country's second largest city, where the current opposition mayor, Mansur Yavas, declared victory over his AK opponent, less than three hours after polling stations in the nationwide local elections were closed
(AP) - Turkey's main opposition party came close to winning some of the country's biggest cities, including Istanbul, in elections held on Sunday.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who first won the city in the 2019 election, said he was satisfied with the result of Sunday's election. stated that he is "very happy" so far.
"Based on the data we have collected, I can say that the support and trust that our citizens have towards us has been confirmed," said Imamoglu.
With nearly 60% of ballot boxes counted, Imamoglu, of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, leads in Istanbul, the largest city and economic center KEY of Turkey, according to state broadcaster TRT. Mansur Yavas, the mayor of the capital Ankara, has also held his country by a large margin in votes, show results.
CHP leads in 36 out of 81 Markets of Turkey, according to the results reported by TRT.
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Erdogan's AK Party appears to have had more success in the southeastern areas devastated by the twin earthquakes of February 2023. It was ahead in the cities of Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.
The loss of Istanbul marks a new defeat for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a year after he won his third term as president. He had made it his main goal to regain the city where he grew up and became mayor.
Erdogan suffered another blow in the capital Ankara, the country's second largest city, where the current opposition mayor, Mansur Yavas, declared victory over his AKP opponent less than three hours after the polls closed. of voting in nationwide local elections.
Yavas and Imamoglu are seen as possible candidates to run for the presidency in 2028.
Sunday's election has been seen by analysts as a gauge of support for Erdogan and his opposition on the other side.
Erdogan, who has led Turkey for more than two decades, has campaigned intensively for his party to retake the leadership of Istanbul from Imamoglu.
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He has promised a new era in Turkey's largest city.
Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. in eastern Turkey, while at 8:00 a.m. in the rest of the country. Over 61 million people had the right to vote in these elections. The polls closed at 17:00.
