Opinion centers in Turkey say that the division between opposition parties strengthens President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's hopes of regaining Istanbul. Erdogan attaches great importance to Istanbul, whose mayor he assumed in 1994 when he was a leader in the Welfare Party.
Murat Kurum, the Justice and Development Party candidate, is competing with Akrem Imamoglu, the outgoing mayor of Istanbul. If Imamoglu wins the elections in Istanbul and its results are not annulled due to objections in some way, he will become president in 2028.