Turkey’s opposition claimed a mind-blowing victory across several major cities in the country’s local elections Sunday, dealing a crushing blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party and handing it its heaviest defeat in more than two decades.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu told thousands of supporters “Those who do not understand the nation’s message will eventually lose,” after vote counts revealed that his center-left Republican People’s Party (CHP) had swept the polls in Istanbul by more than a million votes.
“Tonight, 16 million Istanbul citizens sent a message to both our rivals and the president,” he said.
Large crowds filled the square outside the Istanbul city headquarters waving Turkish flags and lighting torches to celebrate the result.
Speaking Sunday night, Erdogan, who had ruled Turkey since 2003 said, “If we made a mistake, we will fix it … if we have anything missing, we will complete it.”
Results of the municipal elections across major Turkish cities like Istanbul, Izmir, and the capital Ankara could set the country in a new direction, according to analysts ahead of 2028 Presidential Election.
Erdogan was a beneficiary of municipal elections as he rose to prominence as Istanbul mayor in the 1990s before going on to be the President.
Imamoglu, a 52-year-old former businessman, has been Istanbul’s mayor since 2019. He attempted to run for president in Turkey’s 2023 general election, but was banned by Erdogan’s government from running.
He is now seen as a frontrunner ahead of the Presidential Elections.
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