The center-left opposition can hope to retain control of the country’s most important cities, including the metropolis of Istanbul, the capital Ankara and the coastal metropolis of Izmir. The elections in 81 provinces were also seen as a test of sentiment for Erdogan.
Opposition just ahead
After around a third of the votes were counted, the largest opposition party CHP (Republican People’s Party) was just ahead of the AKP (around 37 percent) nationwide on Sunday with around 39 percent, as the state news agency Anadolu reported, citing unofficial preliminary figures. In the previous local elections in 2019, the AKP received 44 percent of the vote. Unofficial results showed Erdogan’s AKP headed for defeat in the five most populous cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, according to the state agency. The first official results were expected later in the evening.
After almost 71 percent of the votes were counted, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu received 50.4 percent, while his main rival Murat Kuram, supported by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had 40.9 percent. The opposition-affiliated news agency Anka saw Imamoglu at around 57 percent following counting more than half of the votes. In Ankara, CHP Mayor Mansur Yavas was at 58.6 percent following 46.4 percent of the votes were counted. The candidate from Erdogan’s ruling party AKP only got 33.5 percent. The center-left CHP party is also likely to prevail in the port city of Izmir.
Mood barometer and switch setter
Around 61 million people in 81 provinces were called on Sunday to elect mayors, municipal councilors and other local politicians. The vote was seen as an important barometer of the mood and a pointer for the country’s political future. There were deadly clashes in the southeast in connection with the vote.
Erdogan’s main goal was to win back the metropolis of Istanbul with his AKP. Ekrem Imamoglu from the largest opposition party CHP wrested power in Istanbul from Erdogan’s ruling AKP in 2019, ending 25 years of government by Islamic conservative parties. The AKP had the election canceled at the time. In the second round, Imamoglu won by an even larger margin – the success is considered the most serious setback in Erdogan’s political career to date. Erdogan’s political rise began in Istanbul when he was elected mayor in 1994.
One dead on election day
One person was killed and eleven others were injured in the southeastern Turkish metropolis of Diyarbakir on Sunday following a dispute over the election of a community leader escalated, the state news agency Anadolu reported. A dispute over the election also escalated in Siirt province and one person was killed.
The election took place under difficult circumstances: the high inflation rate and the economic situation may have cost Erdogan’s party votes. The opposition, in turn, which ran as an alliance in the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2023, was considered divided and no longer ran as a unit.
Unfair election campaign
The election campaign was considered unfair – a large part of the media in Turkey is under direct or indirect government control. No major voting irregularities were initially reported. The DEM party said officials in the southeastern Turkish province of Sanliurfa tried to vote at more than one ballot box. This was prevented and documented.
The election is also important for the future of the Kurdish minority in the country. The pro-Kurdish DEM party is hoping for election victories in the southeast, where it traditionally has strong support but faces a strong AKP. The party had won 65 mayoral positions under the name HDP in the last local elections – but the government in Ankara had the majority of politicians removed from office due to terrorism allegations and replaced by receivers.
Erdogan accuses the pro-Kurdish party of terrorist connections, which it rejects. One person was killed and eleven other people were injured in the southeastern Turkish metropolis of Diyarbakir on Sunday following a dispute over the election of a community leader escalated, the state news agency Anadolu reported.
The election campaign was considered unfair – a large part of the media in Turkey is under direct or indirect government control. No major voting irregularities were initially reported. The DEM party said that in the southeastern Turkish province of Sanliurfa, government officials tried to vote at more than one ballot box. This was prevented and documented.
