New Delhi, Apr 1: Turkey’s primary opposition party secured a victory in Sunday’s local elections, dealing a severe blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid widespread voter discontent over an economic downturn.
Unofficial tallies from the state-run Anadolu news agency said that the Republican People’s Party (CHP) led nationwide with 37.7 per cent of the vote, surpassing Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at 35.5 per cent, with 99.8 percent of the votes counted.
This electoral outcome marks a historic milestone as the CHP clinched its first national triumph in over two decades, overshadowing Erdogan’s political dominance.
The defeat signals a turnaround for the CHP, coming less than a year after Erdogan’s victory in the presidential race had left Turkey’s opposition in disarray.
Erdogan, acknowledging the setback, conceded, “We lost momentum throughout the country,” during a speech in Ankara, late Sunday. He pledged to scrutinize the election results earnestly and engage in self-critique.
The highlight of the elections was the contest for Istanbul, a metropolis of 16 million people and the linchpin of Turkey’s economy, which served as Erdogan’s political launching pad as a former mayor.
Ekrem Imamoglu, of CHP secured a victory over his AKP counterpart by a margin of over a million votes, consolidating his position as Erdogan’s most formidable challenger. He is going to be the Mayor.
Imamoglu declared Sunday’s victory as the dawn of a new era for Turkish democracy, resonating with people oppressed under autocratic regimes.
The CHPs won in municipalities across 35 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, including control or retention of the country’s five largest cities.