Erdogan's party loses in local elections in Istanbul and Ankara
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (photo: Getty Images)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party loses in local elections in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkiye's largest cities, reports Reuters.
According to preliminary vote counts, incumbent Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is ahead of his rival from the president's party.
After opening 41.43% of the ballot boxes, Imamoglu received 50% of the support, compared to 41.26% for Murat Kurum, a former minister in Erdogan's national government.
"Based on the data we have gathered, I can say that the favour and trust our citizens have in us have indeed been demonstrated. The current picture greatly pleases us," Imamoglu said.
The current mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavas, who represents the opposition, also announced his victory over his rival from Erdogan's party.
Local elections in Turkey
On Sunday, March 31, local elections were held in Turkey. Usually, local elections in Turkey are seen by analysts as an indicator of support for Erdogan and the stability of the opposition. On the eve of the vote, Erdogan stated that the March local elections would be the last in his political career.
Violence broke out in some cities in eastern Turkey against the backdrop of the vote. For example, in the village of Diyarbakir, a dispute broke out between the voters at a polling station, which escalated into a fight with shooting.
