The candidate of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Binali Yildirim, conceded Sunday his defeat in the municipal elections of Istanbul after the publication of first results giving a large lead to the opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu.
"According to the results, my rival Ekrem Imamoglu leads the race, I congratulate him and wish him good luck and I hope he will serve Istanbul well," Binali Yildirim told the press. According to the results published by the state agency Anadolu after the counting of more than 97% of the ballots, Imamoglu won 53.86% of the vote against 45.23% for Binali Yildirim.
"To win Istanbul is to win Turkey"
Ekrem Imamoglu, 49, confirms his victory in the first election held on 31 March before being canceled under pressure from the AKP party of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for whom this defeat is a stinging setback. This opposition victory puts an end to 25 years of control of the Islamic-conservative camp at Istanbul City Hall, the largest city and economic capital of Turkey. It will take Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cash this defeat, he who repeats the desire that "win Istanbul is to win Turkey".
A new poll perceived as a battle for democracy
The result of the March poll had been invalidated after AKP appeals, alleging "massive irregularities". Rejecting these accusations, the opposition denounced a "putsch against the polls" and saw the new vote as a "battle for democracy". Ekrem Imamoglu, from the Kemalist party CHP (social-democrat), was able to count on the support of the Iyi nationalist training and pro-Kurds of the HDP, channeling the main forces hostile to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.