ISTANBUL (AP) – Turkey on Monday came to terms with an unexpected victory for the opposition in local elections, outscoring President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party and adding to the number of municipalities it gained five years ago. It was.
The main opposition party, the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP), retained Istanbul and the capital Ankara by wide margins, but added victories in conservative provinces such as Adiyaman in the south.
The party won 35 of Turkey's 81 provinces, including the country's five most populous cities, while Erdogan's Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party (AKP) won 24.
Importantly, the CHP received 37.7% of the national vote, with nearly all votes counted. AKP secured 35.5%.
The surprising result comes just 10 months after the opposition party remained divided and demoralized following defeats in last year's presidential and parliamentary elections.
“This is a major turning point,” said Seda Demiralp, a political science professor at Issyk University in Istanbul.
“The CHP is no longer an opposition party in local government…[President Erdogan]clearly recognizes that voters across Turkey, even in conservative cities, are sending a clear message. Unbelievable. , it's a big deal. It's not just a local government problem, it's a problem of voters being dissatisfied with the AK Party government.”
Voter turnout was about 78%, compared with 87% last year, according to state-run Anadolu Agency. Demiralp said the results suggested that it was mainly AKP supporters who did not vote.
Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara, said the result was unprecedented in Erdoğan's 20 years.
“We've never seen him lose like this,” he said. “The CHP is now leading the AKP in the polls for the first time…This is a landslide because it is the first time for the CHP that it received more votes than the AKP.”
In southeastern Turkey, the pro-Kurdish Equality Democratic Party won 10 provinces, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won eight provinces scattered across the country.
The New Welfare Party (YRP), which primarily competed with the AKP for the support of conservative voters, captured two provinces. It won 6.2% of the national vote, making it the third-largest party.
The IYI Party and the Grand Solidarity Party won the remaining two states.
Some expected the opposition to perform poorly in Sunday's election after last year's disappointing defeat.
However, the change in CHP leadership (from 75-year-old Kemal Kilikdaroglu to 49-year-old Ozgur Ozer) has revitalized the party and paved the way for a sure victory for the incumbent CHP mayor and other candidates. It looked like it was open.
Analysts contrasted strong candidates fielded by opposition parties, such as Istanbul's Ekrem Imamoglu and Ankara's Mansour Yabas, with candidates backed by the AKP, who were largely overshadowed by Erdogan during the campaign. Ta.
Imamoglu won by more than 11 points, while Yavas secured a nearly 29-point lead over their AKP rivals. The result would boost Imammoğlu's status as a potential challenger to the 2028 presidential election.
“Leadership is becoming more important than political party or ideology,” Demiralp said. “Especially in countries like Turkey where institutions are weak, people connect with leaders rather than political parties or other institutions.”
Sunday's election came as voters faced an annual inflation rate that rose to 67% in February and a continuing cost-of-living crisis. Meanwhile, President Erdogan has allowed borrowing costs to rise by up to 50% to counter soaring prices.
Commentators said that while the economic crisis had little effect on Erdogan's popularity in national opinion polls last year, AKP voters were more likely to express dissatisfaction with the lack of his name on the ballot. said.
“High inflation, arrogance, mediocre candidates, poor electoral campaigns, and being outnumbered by our former ally the New Welfare Party are the main factors behind the AKP's defeat,” said New York-based co-leader of the group. Wolfango Piccoli says. This was revealed by the consulting firm Teneo.
