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| Erdoğan’s party loses Ankara in Turkish local elections blow | Erdoğan’s party loses Ankara in Turkish local elections blow |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been dealt a major blow at the ballot box after his ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) lost control of Ankara, according to unofficial local election results. | Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been dealt a major blow at the ballot box after his ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) lost control of Ankara, according to unofficial local election results. |
| In a further potential setback, the opposition was also leading in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and commercial centre. | |
| The AKP’s loss in Ankara to the secular People’s Republican party (CHP) mayoral candidate, Mansur Yavaş, ended 25 years of Islamist party dominance over the capital and sent shockwaves throughout the rest of the country. The AKP said it would appeal. | The AKP’s loss in Ankara to the secular People’s Republican party (CHP) mayoral candidate, Mansur Yavaş, ended 25 years of Islamist party dominance over the capital and sent shockwaves throughout the rest of the country. The AKP said it would appeal. |
| In Istanbul there was an anxious wait on Monday as ballot counts were still under way. The main opposition bloc candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was more than 25,000 votes ahead of his AKP opponent, former prime minister Binali Yıldırım, as the last votes were being counted, according to the country’s electoral board and CHP data. | |
| Yıldırım accepted that his rival was ahead but suggested that there could be a recount of hundreds of thousands of votes in the city of 15 million, where the president’s own ascent to power began in 1994. An AKP official said there were voting irregularities and insisted that Erdoğan’s party had won. | |
| What should have been routine municipality elections morphed into a referendum on Erdoğan’s decade and a half in office as economic woes began to bite into his support. | What should have been routine municipality elections morphed into a referendum on Erdoğan’s decade and a half in office as economic woes began to bite into his support. |
| Erdoğan’s leadership has been marked by consistently strong economic growth, but last year’s currency crisis triggered an official recession last month. Inflation is hovering at about 20%, sending the cost of living soaring for working-class AKP voters. | Erdoğan’s leadership has been marked by consistently strong economic growth, but last year’s currency crisis triggered an official recession last month. Inflation is hovering at about 20%, sending the cost of living soaring for working-class AKP voters. |
| Opposition hopes that dissatisfaction at inflation and rising unemployment would be enough to dissuade working-class AKP voters from turning up to vote appeared to be well-founded. “The people have voted in favour of democracy, they have chosen democracy,” said opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. | Opposition hopes that dissatisfaction at inflation and rising unemployment would be enough to dissuade working-class AKP voters from turning up to vote appeared to be well-founded. “The people have voted in favour of democracy, they have chosen democracy,” said opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. |
| Although the president was not on the ballot, he had campaigned tirelessly in an attempt to draw attention away from the economy. He framed the local elections as a matter of “national survival”, accusing opposition parties of links to terrorism and blaming inflation on foreign powers seeking to undermine the country. | Although the president was not on the ballot, he had campaigned tirelessly in an attempt to draw attention away from the economy. He framed the local elections as a matter of “national survival”, accusing opposition parties of links to terrorism and blaming inflation on foreign powers seeking to undermine the country. |
| More than 57 million voters were eligible to take part in choosing the mayors of 30 major cities, 51 provincial capitals and 922 districts. In big cities, voters cast ballots for a metropolitan mayor, a district mayor, the municipal assembly and a neighbourhood administrator. | More than 57 million voters were eligible to take part in choosing the mayors of 30 major cities, 51 provincial capitals and 922 districts. In big cities, voters cast ballots for a metropolitan mayor, a district mayor, the municipal assembly and a neighbourhood administrator. |
| Despite the setbacks, Erdogan’s ruling party and an allied nationalist party still won more than half of the votes across Turkey. | Despite the setbacks, Erdogan’s ruling party and an allied nationalist party still won more than half of the votes across Turkey. |
| The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic party (HDP) regained several seats across the mainly Kurdish south-east, where the government has replaced elected mayors with government-appointed trustees in the past after alleging the ousted officials had links to the outlawed militant Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK). | The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic party (HDP) regained several seats across the mainly Kurdish south-east, where the government has replaced elected mayors with government-appointed trustees in the past after alleging the ousted officials had links to the outlawed militant Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK). |
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| Speaking from the balcony of party headquarters in Ankara early on Monday, where he has for years declared victory, Erdoğan said he and his allies had come out first. He said the party would work to understand and fix where they failed. | Speaking from the balcony of party headquarters in Ankara early on Monday, where he has for years declared victory, Erdoğan said he and his allies had come out first. He said the party would work to understand and fix where they failed. |
| The elections were marked by scattered episodes of violence. At least four people were killed in the country’s south and east and dozens injured in election-related clashes in the Kurdish-majority city Diyarbakır. | The elections were marked by scattered episodes of violence. At least four people were killed in the country’s south and east and dozens injured in election-related clashes in the Kurdish-majority city Diyarbakır. |
| In Istanbul, police said one person was stabbed in a 15-person brawl that broke out between candidates in Kadıköy district. | In Istanbul, police said one person was stabbed in a 15-person brawl that broke out between candidates in Kadıköy district. |
| The elections were the first ballot-box test for Erdoğan since he was re-elected last year under a new system of government that gave the presidency expanded powers. | The elections were the first ballot-box test for Erdoğan since he was re-elected last year under a new system of government that gave the presidency expanded powers. |
| Government critics have said the elections were not fought fairly, with several HDP leaders in the south-east arrested on terrorism charges in the run-up to voting day. Largely pro-government media coverage also put opposition parties at a campaigning disadvantage. | Government critics have said the elections were not fought fairly, with several HDP leaders in the south-east arrested on terrorism charges in the run-up to voting day. Largely pro-government media coverage also put opposition parties at a campaigning disadvantage. |
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