Municipal polls ‘a turning point, not an end’: Erdogan

In a major upset to President Erdogan, Turkiye’s main opposition party Republican People’s Party (CHP) has retained its control over key cities and made huge gains elsewhere in Sunday’s local elections.

Incumbent Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was leading by a wide margin in Turkey’s economic hub as more than 90 per cent of ballot boxes counted.

Ankara Mansur Yavas also retained his seat with a stunning 25-point difference over his challenger, according to the results.

Overall, the Republican People’s Party won the municipalities of 36 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, making inroads into many strongholds of Justice and Development (AK) Party.

CHP gained 37 per cent of the votes across the country, compared to 36 per cent for the president’s AP Party, marking the Republican People’s Party’s greatest electoral victory since Erdogan came to power two decades ago.

In in early morning speech today, Erdogan acknowledged the electoral setback.

The speech was delivered from the balcony of the presidential palace with loudspeakers blared with an old campaign song of the AK Party stressing the unity of Türkiye.

Erdogan said: “The victor of this election is democracy, the nation’s will, regardless of political views of the electorate.”

The Turkish president said that they concluded the March 31 elections with a maturity appropriate for our democracy.

He added that there weren’t any incidents that would overshadow the elections. Referring to the PKK terrorist group, he said that we witnessed servants of a separatist organization engaging in acts of pressure and insults toward citizens in the east and southeast.

On the other hand, the president, admitted that they could not achieve the desired result, especially 9 months after the AK Party emerged winner in general and legislative elections.