Ekrem Imamoglu, the current mayor of Istanbul and the candidate of Turkey’s main opposition party CHP, declared victory in the mayoral election of the country’s largest city on Sunday night. Imamoglu said he was leading by more than 1 million votes in local elections after 96 percent of ballots were opened.

Turks voted on Sunday in municipal elections focused on President Tayyip Erdogan’s bid to regain control of Istanbul from rival Ekrem Imamoglu, who is seeking to restore the opposition as a political force after losing elections last year, Reuters and AFP reported.

Polling stations closed at 5pm (2pm GMT) after violence across the country over the election of local officials, or “mukhtars”, in which three people were reportedly killed. The first voting results are expected early in the evening.

All information about the results of local elections in Turkey, LIVE on HotNews.ro:

00:30Ekrem Imamoglu, the current mayor of Istanbul and the candidate of Turkey’s main opposition party CHP, declared victory in the mayoral election of the country’s largest city on Sunday night.

Imamoglu said he was leading by more than 1 million votes in local elections after 96 percent of ballots were opened.

23:45In addition to Izmir (in the west), the country’s third-largest city and a CHP stronghold, and Antalya (in the south), where opposition supporters have taken to the streets to celebrate victory, the main opposition party is on course for a landslide victory in Anatolia, AFP reported.

According to the partial results, which surprised observers, he was leading in the provincial capitals long ruled by the AKP.

23:39With 79 percent of ballot boxes counted as of 11:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. GMT), Ekrem Imamoglu received 50.5 percent of the vote, compared to 40.7 percent for his main opponent from the ruling AKP party.

10:37 in the eveningOpposition mayor Mansur Yavas declares victory in Ankara

Ankara’s outgoing mayor, opposition politician Mansur Yavas, declared victory in the Turkish capital’s municipal elections on Sunday night to a cheering crowd, AFP reported.

“The election is over, we will continue to serve Ankara and its six million residents without discrimination,” the CHP (Social Democratic Party) candidate promised as ballots were still being counted, giving him a very large lead over his main rival.

22:23After counting more than half of the votes, Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu leads with 50.12%

21:20According to official results based on 41.43 percent of open ballots, Imamoglu had 50 percent of support, compared to 41.26 percent for Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate Murat Kurum, a former minister in Erdogan’s national government.

20:14The Turkish opposition claims victory in Ankara

Incumbent Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, who is also running for the CHP, declared victory according to initial results that showed him ahead of his rival from the ruling Justice and Development Party by nearly 20 percent.

19:55Mayor of Istanbul: almost 40% of ballots counted / We are very satisfied with the result (Reuters)

19:30 According to the preliminary results, the Turkish opposition is in the lead in the local elections in Istanbul

Ekrem Imamoglu, the incumbent mayor and candidate of Turkey’s main opposition CHP party, is leading the mayoral race in the country’s largest city, Istanbul, NTV and other broadcasters said on Sunday, based on official partial vote counts, according to Reuters.

• Imamoglu received 49.09% with 3.67% of open ballot boxes.
• Murat Kurum, the candidate of President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling National Party, won 42.83 percent.

Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu dealt Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party the biggest electoral blow of their two decades in power, winning the 2019 election. The president fought back in 2023, securing re-election and a parliamentary majority with his nationalist allies.

Sunday’s results could strengthen Erdogan’s grip on NATO-member Turkey or signal a shift in the political landscape of a major emerging economy. A victory for Imamoglu would fuel expectations that he would become the next national leader.

“Imamoglu is good and doing the right things as mayor, but he is no match for Erdogan,” Omer, a retired voter from the ruling and Legal Development Party (AKP), said as jubilant crowds chanted the president’s name as he left the polling station. in Istanbul.

Elsewhere in Istanbul, engineer Murat Ercan disapproved of Erdogan’s active role in campaigning for his party ahead of the election, saying the president should be impartial.

“Ekrem Imamoglu is the leader we want, with his constructive and smiling nature that embraces everyone,” Ercan, 60, said after casting his vote in Istanbul.

• Erdogan’s main goals / Amendments to the Constitution and a fourth term? – analysts

Cruel

Several groups of people went on a rampage with firearms, sticks and stones during the incident in the southeast of the country, leaving one dead and 12 injured. In another incident, a candidate-mukhtar was killed and four people were injured during the fight, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

It is also reported that 16 people were injured in a clash in Şanlıurfa, and a mukhtar was stabbed in Afyonkarahisar in the west of the country. Demiroren said separately that one person was shot dead and two others were injured overnight in Bursa.

Influence of Kurdish and Islamist voters

In Istanbul, a city of 16 million that is the engine of Turkey’s economy, polls show a tight race with Imamoglu challenging AKP candidate Murat Kurum, a former minister.

The results are likely to be partly influenced by economic problems caused by inflation, which is approaching 70 percent, and by Kurdish and Islamist voters who will evaluate the government’s performance.

While Erdogan’s main prize is Istanbul, he is also trying to win back the capital, Ankara. Both cities were won by the opposition in 2019 after being ruled by their AKP and Islamist predecessors for the past 25 years.

Erdogan’s prospects have been helped by the collapse of the opposition alliance he defeated last year, although Imamoglu still attracts voters outside his main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party.

Mainstream pro-Kurdish party voters were crucial to Imamoglu’s success in 2019. This time, their DEM party is fielding its own candidate in Istanbul, but many Kurds are expected to throw party loyalties aside and vote for him again.

In the Kurdish-majority southeast, DEM is seeking to regain power after the state replaced pro-Kurdish mayors with state-appointed “administrators” following previous elections over alleged links to militants.

“I want to end the trust system. These elections are important for the future of Turkey and because they listen to us: the Kurds are always decisive,” said 32-year-old civil servant Elif Durgun.

One factor working against Erdogan is growing support for the Islamist New Welfare Party because of its tough stance on Israel over the Gaza conflict and dissatisfaction with the way the Islamist AKP manages the economy.

Erdogan’s fourth term?

For observers, the traditionally high turnout will play a decisive role. Especially in Istanbul, if fewer voters come to support Imamoglu.

“If Imamoglu manages to hold on, he will win the battle within the opposition to assert himself” as a leader in the next presidential election, said Bayram Balci, a researcher at the Center d’études et de recherches internationales (Ceri). Sciences-Po in Paris.

But on the other hand, “if he manages to win back Istanbul and Ankara, Erdogan will take it as an incentive to amend the Constitution in order to run for re-election in 2028” and a fourth term, he notes.

In large cities, Turkish voters will elect their mayor, as well as municipal councils, district mayors, and mukhtars (neighborhood leaders). In Istanbul, the ballot is almost a meter long.

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