2 April 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered an unexpected defeat in local elections.
The main opposition party won elections in major Turkish cities, including Ankara and Istanbul.
President Erdoğan was campaigning with confidence that he would win Istanbul, where he was born and grew up and ran as mayor.
However, in 2019, Ekrem Emamoglu’s party won the local elections held in the city.
President Erdoğan campaigned to bring a new era to Istanbul, home to 16 million people, but he failed to deliver.
In addition to Istanbul, the opposition CHP won Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Adana and the resort city of Antalya.
In a speech to his supporters in the capital Ankara following the defeat of the local elections held in several Turkish cities, Erdogan said that this is not the end of the AK Party, but an opportunity to bring about change.
This is the first time Erdogan’s party has suffered a defeat in local elections in major cities across the country since coming to power 21 years ago.
Erdoğan, whose presidential term ends in 2028, said during his election campaign that this would be the last time he would participate in local elections.
But analysts say that if Erdoğan had received better votes in the local elections, he would have worked on amending the constitution so that he could stay in power.
On the other hand, the chairman of the opposition party, CHP, Özgür Ozel, said that the Turks have confirmed their desire for a new political system in their country.
A large number of opposition party supporters took to the streets of Istanbul carrying the Turkish flag.
Istanbul is home to one-fifth of Turkey’s total population of 85 million. Controlling this city is seen as controlling the country’s economy, including trade, tourism and finance.
Ekrem Imamoglu, who won the election in Istanbul, is widely expected to be a strong contender in the 2028 presidential election
