Early results from the local elections in Turkey show that the nation’s chief opposition party is on course to maintain its hold over critical urban areas. With preliminary counts indicating their lead, this could deal a significant blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was eager to regain control of these areas. Ekrem Imamoglu, the existing mayor of Turkey’s most populous and financially significant city, Istanbul, was ahead, as demonstrated by the nation’s public broadcaster, TRT.
Similarly, Mansur Yavas, mayor of the capital city Ankara, was predicted to keep his position with a solid majority, according to the vote count. The Republican People’s Party (CHP) was found ahead in 35 of the country’s 81 provinces, based on preliminary figures from TRT. The vote was viewed as a gauge of Erdogan’s public support as he aimed to recapture important cities he ceded to the opposition during the elections half a decade ago.
The 2019 victories of the CHP in Istanbul and Ankara dented Erdogan’s image of being unbeatable. Istanbul was the primary combat zone for the veteran Turkish president. Born and raised in this city of 16 million inhabitants, Erdogan kick-started his political journey as mayor in 1994. A robust showing for the AKP, Erdogan’s ruling Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party, may embolden his plans to implement a new constitution reflecting his conservative ideals and permitting him to govern past his current term’s 2028 conclusion, analysts predict.
For the already despondent and splintered opposition party, the losses in the previous presidential and parliamentary elections make the retention of Istanbul and Ankara a much-needed encouragement for rallying supporters. Over 61 million people, inclusive of more than a million first-time voters, had the right to cast votes for all metropolitan municipalities, as well as mayoral positions for towns, districts and neighbourhoods.