Opposition lands decisive victory in Turkish local elections, dealing blow to Erdogan
In a significant upset for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party or AKP, the opposition party won most municipalities and district council elections in local elections.
Since Turkey does not have provincial governments, analysts say the local bodies are powerful tiers of democracy.
According to the Election Commission, Opposition CHP or Republican People’s Party secured more than 37% votes against ruling AKP’s over 35% votes.
The opposition clinched 14 metros, 21 provinces and 337 district councils, mostly in urban areas.
The ruling party won in 12 metros and 356 districts straddling the rural belt of Türkiye.
The main cities — Istanbul and Ankara — were taken by the opposition.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) secured Istanbul’s mayoral seat by more than 1 million votes.
Erdogan conceded his party’s defeat, promising self-reflection and correction of mistakes.
Analysts attribute the unexpected outcome to voter discontent over economic woes and Turkey not taking any action against Israel after its aggression on Gaza.
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