Thousands celebrate in Istanbul after opposition wins mayoralty in blow to Turkey’s power-mad President Erdogan
THOUSANDS poured onto the streets of Istanbul last night after the opposition candidate for mayor secured a landmark win over power-mad Turkish President Erdogan’s party.
Ekrem Imamoglu, 49, said thank you to his supporters after his victory on Sunday – the second time the election took place amid weeks of political tension.
Imamoglu narrowly won an earlier mayoral election on March 31 – but Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, AKP, challenged the vote over alleged irregularities.
He spent 18 days in office before Turkey’s electoral board annulled the results after weeks of partial recounts.
Last night, unofficial results showed he won a clear majority of the vote – beating former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim 54 per cent to 45 per cent.
Imamoglu increased his lead from the March mayoral election by hundreds of thousands of votes – suggesting a voter backlash against Erdogan’s efforts to further seize power.
ERDOGAN’S GRIP
But analysts say the president – who is grappling with an economic downturn and several international crises – could limit the mayor’s power or undermine Imamoglu’s authority in other ways.
It was feared after the initial result was voided that AKP – which has governed Turkey since 2002 – would never accept any electoral loss.
Imamoglu told jubilant crowds last night: “You have protected the reputation of democracy in Turkey with the whole world watching.”
Supporters chanted “Mayor again! Mayor again!” while others hung out of cars, blaring horns and waving red-and-white Turkish flags.
Erdogan will be devastated after campaigning hard for Yildirim in Istanbul – where the president started his political career as mayor in 1994.
AKP also lost control of the capital city of Ankara in Turkey’s March local elections.
It came as the country battled high inflation and two credit rating downgrades in the past year.
Istanbul – a city of more than 15 million – draws millions of tourists each year and is Turkey’s commercial and cultural hub, accounting for 31 per cent of Turkey’s GDP in 2017.
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Erdogan has previously signalled an unwillingness to work with an opposition mayor.
But Imamoglu will have to work with his party to govern Istanbul – and he promised to do so on Sunday.
Addressing Erdogan in a speech, Imamoglu said: “I’m ready to work with you” to solve Istanbul’s problems.
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