President Erdogan’s political star rose when he won the local elections in Istanbul exactly 30 years ago. ‘The one who wins Istanbul wins the whole of Turkey,’ he once said. His famous sentence is now back to haunt him.
People already talk about ‘the beginning of the end’ for Erdogan
In Istanbul yesterday, tens of thousands of people gathered to celebrate not Erdogan but Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition’s incumbent mayor, in municipal elections. Despite the fatigue from last year’s general elections, over 78 per cent of Turkey’s 61 million-strong electorate turned up to cast their votes yesterday. Their backing for Imamoglu was resounding: his Republican People’s Party (CHP) performed spectacularly, securing 37.7 per cent of the overall vote and control over the biggest cities in Turkey, including the capital, Ankara. Imamoglu’s win makes him the natural leader to challenge Erdogan in the coming years.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came in second with 35.5 per cent.
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