For the first time in 20 years, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has lost municipal elections to the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP). Unofficial preliminary results broadcast by the TRT TV channel, with nearly 95% of the votes counted, show the CHP leading with 37.3% of the vote, while the AKP trails at 35.7% in the contest for mayoral positions in major cities.
The competition for mayoral seats is a critical aspect of local elections. The AKP currently holds 15 of the 30 metropolitan mayoral seats and 21 mayoral positions in regional centers. To date, the AKP has secured victories in 11 metropolitan areas and 12 provincial centers. However, the party has not succeeded in reclaiming key cities including Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, and Izmir.
In Ankara, incumbent Mansur Yavas has retained his position as mayor with 59.5% of the vote, compared to 32% for his AKP opponent, Turgut Altinok. In Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu remains the mayor with 50.8% of the vote, while AKP candidate Murat Kurum received 40%. Antalya and Izmir, traditionally opposition strongholds, saw a margin of approximately 10% in favor of the CHP candidates over their AKP counterparts.
The pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (Dem parti) has made gains in three metropolitan cities and seven provincial centers, predominantly in southeastern Turkey, where there is a significant Kurdish population. In the Hakkari province bordering Iraq, Mehmet Siddik Akis was victorious with 48.92% of the vote, edging out AKP's Ismet Olmez who garnered 46.8%, with all voting protocols accounted for. In the bordering province of Mardin, renowned Kurdish politician Ahmet Turk, who has previously held the position, won with 58%.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an electoral coalition partner of the AKP, has won in eight provincial centers.
In terms of city councils and district municipalities, excluding mayoral seats, the AKP has also lost its predominant position, securing just 32.8% of the vote to the CHP's 33.9%. The opposition managed to secure a majority of municipalities and district offices in almost every province in western Turkey, including Ankara and Istanbul, despite the AKP leading these regions in the 2019 elections.
Winners and CEC
Turkey's Supreme Election Commission is expected to announce the official preliminary election results on Monday.
Meanwhile, party leaders and candidates have already started claiming victory or acknowledging defeat. Yavas and Imamoglu have effectively begun celebrating their election triumphs. Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the CHP, highlighted his party's remarkable success, noting that "for the first time since 1978, state television has acknowledged the CHP as the front-runner in the vote."
On his part, Erdogan conceded that his party did not achieve the desired outcomes in the elections but portrayed the result as "not an end, but a turning point." He stated that the AKP would draw the necessary conclusions, analyze the events, and rectify any mistakes.
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Based on materials from TASS