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Turkey local elections: Setback for Erdogan as his party loses capital | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suffered a blow in local elections, with his party losing control of the capital Ankara and an opposition party also claiming victory in Istanbul. | |
"If there are any shortcomings, it is our duty to correct them," he said. | |
"Starting tomorrow morning, we will begin our work to identify our shortcomings and make up for them." | "Starting tomorrow morning, we will begin our work to identify our shortcomings and make up for them." |
The election came amid an economic downturn and was widely seen as a referendum on his leadership. | |
More than 57 million people in the country were registered to vote for mayors and councillors. | |
Mr Erdogan had previously said the poll was about the "survival" of the country and his party, which has dominated Turkish politics for 16 years. | |
What are the results? | |
Turkish media said the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Mansur Yavas had won a clear victory in Ankara. | |
However both the CHP and Mr Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) claimed victory by a slender margins in Istanbul, the country's biggest city. | |
CHP candidate Ekrem Imamoglu said he had won by nearly 28,000 votes while the AKP said its candidate, former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, was ahead by 4,000 votes. | |
Both candidates reportedly received more than 4m votes each. | |
The CHP also said it had held Izmir, Turkey's third largest city. | |
What has the reaction been? | |
"The people have voted in favour of democracy, they have chosen democracy," CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said. | |
Meanwhile Mr Erdogan, speaking to supporters in Ankara, hinted that the AKP may have lost control of Istanbul. | |
"Even if our people gave away the mayorship, they gave the districts to the AK Party," he said. | |
He vowed to focus his leadership on the Turkish economy ahead of national elections scheduled to take place in 2023. | |
Prominent journalist Rusen Cakir said the vote was "as historic as that of 1994", referring to the year Mr Erdogan was elected mayor of Istanbul. | |
"It is a declaration that a page that was opened 25 years ago is being turned," he said, according to Reuters. | |
'Punishment for deepening recession' | 'Punishment for deepening recession' |
Analysis by Mark Lowen, BBC Turkey Correspondent | Analysis by Mark Lowen, BBC Turkey Correspondent |
There is a saying in Turkish: whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey. | There is a saying in Turkish: whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey. |
The biggest prize in the local elections is still too close to call, with a few thousand votes between the governing AK Party and the opposition CHP in a city of 18 million people. | |
The AKP candidate has declared victory, but there are still votes to count. | The AKP candidate has declared victory, but there are still votes to count. |
In the capital Ankara, the opposition has won back control after a quarter of a century. If it takes Istanbul too, it would be an astonishing result in a country where 90% of the media is pro-government and President Erdogan has branded his opponents "terrorists". | In the capital Ankara, the opposition has won back control after a quarter of a century. If it takes Istanbul too, it would be an astonishing result in a country where 90% of the media is pro-government and President Erdogan has branded his opponents "terrorists". |
His usually loyal conservative voters have punished him for a deepening recession, with inflation at 20% and the currency plunging in value. | His usually loyal conservative voters have punished him for a deepening recession, with inflation at 20% and the currency plunging in value. |
For years Mr Erdogan appeared unbeatable, with a moribund opposition. Tonight, that image is beginning to change. | For years Mr Erdogan appeared unbeatable, with a moribund opposition. Tonight, that image is beginning to change. |
How was the campaign? | How was the campaign? |
This was the first municipal vote since Mr Erdogan assumed sweeping executive powers through last year's presidential election. | |
The AKP have won every election since coming to power in 2002. | |
With most media either pro-government or controlled by Mr Erdogan's supporters, critics believe opposition parties campaigned at a disadvantage. | With most media either pro-government or controlled by Mr Erdogan's supporters, critics believe opposition parties campaigned at a disadvantage. |
The opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said the elections were unfair and refused to put forward candidates in several cities. | The opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said the elections were unfair and refused to put forward candidates in several cities. |
Some of its leaders have been jailed on terror charges, accusations they reject. | Some of its leaders have been jailed on terror charges, accusations they reject. |
Mr Erdogan's rallies have dominated TV coverage. At one on Saturday, the president sought to reassure voters and the party's usually conservative supporters that everything was under control. | Mr Erdogan's rallies have dominated TV coverage. At one on Saturday, the president sought to reassure voters and the party's usually conservative supporters that everything was under control. |
"I am the boss of the economy right now as president of this country," he said, also blaming the West and particularly the US for its financial turbulence. | "I am the boss of the economy right now as president of this country," he said, also blaming the West and particularly the US for its financial turbulence. |
The president was criticised for repeatedly showing footage from the recent terror attack in New Zealand, in which a self-declared white supremacist live-streamed himself killing 50 people at two Christchurch mosques. | The president was criticised for repeatedly showing footage from the recent terror attack in New Zealand, in which a self-declared white supremacist live-streamed himself killing 50 people at two Christchurch mosques. |