- Written by Paul Kirby & Cagil Kasapoglu
- in London and Istanbul
Turkey's main opposition party declared victory in high-stakes elections held in the main cities of Istanbul and Ankara.
“This photo made us very happy,” said Ekrem Ä°mamoÄŸlu, who became Istanbul's first opposition mayor in 2019.
A year after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured a third term as president, he became mayor with the goal of reclaiming the city of his birth.
But the main opposition party came close to victory that night.
Notably, the secular CHP was also on track to win many of Turkey's other large cities, including Izmir, Bursa, Adana, and the resort town of Antalya.
The result was a major blow to the man who has led Turkey for the past 21 years. It was the first time since he came to power that his AK Party was defeated at a nationwide poll.
President Erdogan, 70, acknowledged that the election did not go as expected, but told supporters in Ankara that it would be “not the end for us, but rather a turning point.”
He led the party's election campaign in Istanbul, vowing to usher in a new era in Turkey's largest city.
However, with 85% of votes counted in the city, Imamoglu had a more than 10 percentage point lead over his rivals from Erdogan's AK Party.
In the capital Ankara, Mansour Yabas, a colleague of the secular opposition party CHP, led his rival by a wide margin with 59%, declaring victory after receiving less than half of the votes. Supporters blocked all main roads in the city and waved their hands. Raise your flag and honk your car horn.
Party Chairman Özgür Ozer praised the voters who decided to change the face of Turkey in their historic vote, saying: “They are opening the door to a new political landscape in our country.”
Crowds gathered outside the main city hall in Istanbul, a metropolis of about 16 million people. They waved Turkish flags and banners with pictures of Imamoglu alongside Turkey's founding father Kemal Atatürk, and his posters were hung on the walls of local authorities' buildings.
“I can say that the people's trust and faith in us has been rewarded,” Imamoglu said.
Both he and Mansour Yabas are thought to be potential candidates for the presidential election in 2028.
In Saracane, one of Istanbul's oldest districts, Ä°mamoÄŸlu supporters danced to drums and clarinets and chanted, “Everything will be fine.”
Istanbul's incumbent mayor first used the slogan when he won the city from Mr. Erdogan's party five years ago. Some of Sarachane's banners featured his current slogan, “Full Speed ​​Forward.”
“This is just a local election, but the opposition's victory in the big cities is an important show of strength against the ruling party,'' Yeshim Albayrak, 25, a supporter of Imamour, told the BBC.
Mehmet Bankasi, 27, told the BBC that Turkey needed change: “If Imamoglu or Mansour Yavas had been the CHP candidates in last year's presidential election, they definitely would have won.” he said.
Five years ago, Imamoglu overturned the AK Party's long-standing control in Istanbul with support from other opposition parties. But that opposition unity crumbled following last year's presidential election defeat, and the AK Party had high hopes of overturning its 2019 presidential election victory.
The city is home to one-fifth of Turkey's approximately 85 million people. Controlling Istanbul would give it control over important parts of Turkey's economy, including trade, tourism, and finance.
Ahead of Sunday's election, the incumbent mayor faced a strong challenge from AK Party candidate Murat Krum, and the vote was seen as too close to decide.
However, the ruling party has been unable to shake off the economic crisis, with inflation at 67% and interest rates at 50%.
Mr. ErdoÄŸan's AK Party has had further successes in the southeastern region, which was damaged by the double earthquake in February 2023. Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep are leading the way.
Some 61 million Turks were eligible to take part in Sunday's election, and more than 1 million young voters cast their ballots for the first time. Voter turnout in 81 states nationwide was estimated to be over 76%.