For 25 years, Istanbul has been ruled by conservative mayors, including Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current president of Turkey.
Meanwhile, the town hall has gone to the opposition - and the Conservatives have objected. Before deciding on a possible repetition of the mayoral election in Istanbul Erdogan has now again complained of "irregularities". There have been "blemishes" and corruption. To "eliminate" them will make the High Election Commission and the nation easier, Erdogan said on Saturday in front of entrepreneurs in Istanbul. "My citizen says to me, 'My President, this election must be repeated,'" said Erdogan.
This is likely to increase pressure on the Commission, which is currently deliberating on an application by Erdogan's party AKP for cancellation and repetition of the mayoral election in Istanbul. From Monday a decision is expected. The ruling party had narrowly lost the vote in Istanbul on 31 March to the opposition.
Erdogan stressed on Saturday that he does not threaten the electoral commission, and wishes only a "just decision". Shortly after the mayoral election, the president and AKP leader spoke of "theft at the polls" and an "organized crime".
Despite opposition from the AKP, the electoral authority had declared the candidate of the opposition, Ekrem Imamoglu, the winner of the election in April. Imamoglu then moved into the city hall. His mandate can be revoked in the event of a new election but again.
Imamoglu had won the local election by a margin of about 24,000 votes before ex-prime minister Binali Yildirim. After the opposition of the governing party AKP and a recount in several districts, the difference shrank, but could not be made up by the AKP. The request for a recount of all votes in Istanbul had been rejected by the electoral commission.
A portrait of Imamoglu can be read here.