Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, declares victory with a comfortable lead against Erdogan’s AKP candidate. With 66% of the vote counted, he leads with 50.63% against the AKP’s 40.57%. He is waiting for the official results, but it is clearly a win.
Turkey’s ruling party faced a stunning setback in the recent mayoral elections, losing all the cities it held in western Turkey and losing by a significant margin in other regions. Voters who were dissatisfied with soaring inflation and shrinking salaries shifted their support to the political Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP). AKP insiders admitted that the party failed to run an effective campaign and that President Erdogan took a back seat. The rise of the YRP, which doubled its supporters since the previous year’s elections, and a change in leadership within the CHP party also contributed to the ruling party’s defeat. The lack of unity among opposition parties also hindered their chances of success in the elections.