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| Erdoğan's party defeated in Istanbul mayoral election rerun | Erdoğan's party defeated in Istanbul mayoral election rerun |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Turkey’s ruling party in Istanbul’s controversial mayoral election rerun has conceded defeat, handing the nation’s beleaguered opposition a landmark victory that will have dramatic consequences for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s grip on the country. | |
| The ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) candidate and former prime minister Binali Yıldırım admitted he had lost to the opposition Republican People’s party (CHP) candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu in televised remarks just two-and-a-half hours after polls closed on Sunday evening, congratulating his rival and imploring him to serve Istanbul well. | The ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) candidate and former prime minister Binali Yıldırım admitted he had lost to the opposition Republican People’s party (CHP) candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu in televised remarks just two-and-a-half hours after polls closed on Sunday evening, congratulating his rival and imploring him to serve Istanbul well. |
| In his victory speech, İmamoğlu hailed his win as marking “a new page in Istanbul.” | |
| “On this new page, there will be justice, equality, love. We will stop the arrogance and waste. Today 16 million Istanbullus have refreshed our belief in democracy. I thank them all from my heart. You have shown the world that Turkey still protects its democracy. And we have shown other countries who try to go down the road we were choosing that it is no road at all,” he said. | |
| Sunday’s rerun, in which at least 10 million people were eligible to vote, was seen as a test for Turkey’s fragile democratic standards and Erdoğan’s political future. | Sunday’s rerun, in which at least 10 million people were eligible to vote, was seen as a test for Turkey’s fragile democratic standards and Erdoğan’s political future. |
| The swift concession by Yıldırım, an Erdoğan ally, spared the AKP the embarrassment of watching live results trickle in on Sunday night. However, it will now lead to intensified power struggles between factions inside the ruling coalition. | The swift concession by Yıldırım, an Erdoğan ally, spared the AKP the embarrassment of watching live results trickle in on Sunday night. However, it will now lead to intensified power struggles between factions inside the ruling coalition. |
| Turkey’s opposition, meanwhile, was jubilant at the initial results. Cars honked incessantly in liberal neighbourhoods and strangers shook hands and congratulated each other on the win. İmamoğlu’s voice echoed from public television screens and from inside cafes. | Turkey’s opposition, meanwhile, was jubilant at the initial results. Cars honked incessantly in liberal neighbourhoods and strangers shook hands and congratulated each other on the win. İmamoğlu’s voice echoed from public television screens and from inside cafes. |
| “I think he has quite a difficult job ahead of him and I’m not expecting big changes,'” said Mehmet Kizilay, 36, who voted for Imamoglu. “But it’s a very promising and hopeful start. We are very happy he won.” | |
| İmamoğlu first stunned the country after a narrow win in local elections held on 31 March, a rare defeat and personal blow to Erdoğan in his beloved hometown. | İmamoğlu first stunned the country after a narrow win in local elections held on 31 March, a rare defeat and personal blow to Erdoğan in his beloved hometown. |
| However, after weeks of AKP appeals, Turkey’s electoral board upheld one of the ruling party’s complaints regarding ballot counting and annulled İmamoğlu’s victory – a decision that sparked international outrage. | However, after weeks of AKP appeals, Turkey’s electoral board upheld one of the ruling party’s complaints regarding ballot counting and annulled İmamoğlu’s victory – a decision that sparked international outrage. |
| “I’m not happy I’ve had to come vote again,” Aysun Coç, 53, said after casting her vote on Sunday morning. “İmamoğlu will win again with an even bigger margin this time. So what, they will make us do another vote next month? | “I’m not happy I’ve had to come vote again,” Aysun Coç, 53, said after casting her vote on Sunday morning. “İmamoğlu will win again with an even bigger margin this time. So what, they will make us do another vote next month? |
| “The government will have to accept the result this time. If they don’t, we are ready to protest in a big way.” | “The government will have to accept the result this time. If they don’t, we are ready to protest in a big way.” |
| Yıldırım, worked hard to close the gap of 13,000 votes, reaching out to the party’s base in working class and conservative neighbourhoods who punished the government for Turkey’s economic crisis by staying away from the voting booth in March. | Yıldırım, worked hard to close the gap of 13,000 votes, reaching out to the party’s base in working class and conservative neighbourhoods who punished the government for Turkey’s economic crisis by staying away from the voting booth in March. |
| However, in a televised debate with İmamoğlu and in conversations with voters Yıldırım struggled to explain why a repeat election is necessary. Two days before the vote, most reliable polls showed that İmamoğlu’s lead over his rival had widened to as much as 9%. Unofficial counts showed that with nearly all ballot boxes counted, İmamoğlu had a lead of more than 715,000 votes. Yıldırım made his concession speech minutes later. | However, in a televised debate with İmamoğlu and in conversations with voters Yıldırım struggled to explain why a repeat election is necessary. Two days before the vote, most reliable polls showed that İmamoğlu’s lead over his rival had widened to as much as 9%. Unofficial counts showed that with nearly all ballot boxes counted, İmamoğlu had a lead of more than 715,000 votes. Yıldırım made his concession speech minutes later. |
| İmamoğlu, a previously anonymous local administrator was embraced by voters across the city in March for a platform that focused on bringing people together across the city’s highly polarised religious, class and ethnic divides. | İmamoğlu, a previously anonymous local administrator was embraced by voters across the city in March for a platform that focused on bringing people together across the city’s highly polarised religious, class and ethnic divides. |
| He painted his new campaign as a battle for the future of Turkish democracy itself. | He painted his new campaign as a battle for the future of Turkish democracy itself. |
| “Today our people will make the best decision … for the sake of our democracy, for Istanbul and also for the legitimacy of all future elections,” he told reporters after voting on Sunday morning. | “Today our people will make the best decision … for the sake of our democracy, for Istanbul and also for the legitimacy of all future elections,” he told reporters after voting on Sunday morning. |
| Erdoğan returned to his hometown from capital Ankara to cast his vote. “I believe the thinking voter will make the best decision for Istanbul,” he told hundreds of supporters who greeted him near his residence in Üsküdar, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. | Erdoğan returned to his hometown from capital Ankara to cast his vote. “I believe the thinking voter will make the best decision for Istanbul,” he told hundreds of supporters who greeted him near his residence in Üsküdar, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. |
| Losing Istanbul for a second time had been an unthinkable outcome for the AKP. As Turkey’s biggest city and economic hub, Istanbul accounted for 31% of Turkey’s GDP in 2017, and the city is an important driver of the government’s unofficial patronage networks. It has been controlled by the ruling party and its Islamist predecessors for the last quarter of a century. | Losing Istanbul for a second time had been an unthinkable outcome for the AKP. As Turkey’s biggest city and economic hub, Istanbul accounted for 31% of Turkey’s GDP in 2017, and the city is an important driver of the government’s unofficial patronage networks. It has been controlled by the ruling party and its Islamist predecessors for the last quarter of a century. |
| “If İmamoğlu wins again, there’s going to be a chain of serious changes in Turkish politics,” journalist and writer Murat Yetkin told Reuters earlier on Sunday. | “If İmamoğlu wins again, there’s going to be a chain of serious changes in Turkish politics,” journalist and writer Murat Yetkin told Reuters earlier on Sunday. |
| “It will be interpreted as the beginning of a decline for AKP and for Erdoğan as well,” he added, noting that the president himself had called the local elections “a matter of survival”. | “It will be interpreted as the beginning of a decline for AKP and for Erdoğan as well,” he added, noting that the president himself had called the local elections “a matter of survival”. |
| Soner Cagaptay, a Turkish-American political scientist, said: “Imamoglu’s lead today shows is that Turkey’s democratic structures are incredibly resilient. Turkey has been ruled by a populist leader for almost two decades: he has tried to erode the rule of law and take over the media. | |
| “People say it takes a long time to build a democracy, but what today’s result shows is it takes a long time to kill a democracy, too. I think this is the first example of that we have seen anywhere in the world.” | |
| Rumours are already circulating in political circles that the second defeat could trigger a snap national election as Erdoğan seeks to oust increasingly fractious elements in his current government coalition. | Rumours are already circulating in political circles that the second defeat could trigger a snap national election as Erdoğan seeks to oust increasingly fractious elements in his current government coalition. |
| Former president Abdullah Gül, who has been openly critical of the decision to rerun Istanbul’s mayoral election, caused a stir on Sunday by telling reporters “God willing everything will be fine”. The phrase’s similarity to İmamoğlu’s slogan – “Everything will be fine” – led to speculation the former Erdogan ally had cast his ballot for İmamoğlu. | Former president Abdullah Gül, who has been openly critical of the decision to rerun Istanbul’s mayoral election, caused a stir on Sunday by telling reporters “God willing everything will be fine”. The phrase’s similarity to İmamoğlu’s slogan – “Everything will be fine” – led to speculation the former Erdogan ally had cast his ballot for İmamoğlu. |
| Across the city on Sunday, both AKP and CHP voters were united in their desire to avoid further political turmoil after polls closed at 5pm. | Across the city on Sunday, both AKP and CHP voters were united in their desire to avoid further political turmoil after polls closed at 5pm. |
| “Clearly there is some funny business going on here but I don’t know what,” aid 65-year-old AKP voter Cihat Içyumaz, who, like many Istanbullus, cut short his summer holiday to come home and vote. | “Clearly there is some funny business going on here but I don’t know what,” aid 65-year-old AKP voter Cihat Içyumaz, who, like many Istanbullus, cut short his summer holiday to come home and vote. |
| “For me, chaos after this round of elections is the scariest outcome. I just want the candidate who is best for Istanbul to win.” | “For me, chaos after this round of elections is the scariest outcome. I just want the candidate who is best for Istanbul to win.” |
| Istanbul set for mayor vote re-run that could cement blow to Erdoğan | Istanbul set for mayor vote re-run that could cement blow to Erdoğan |
| The Council of Europe, a France-based human rights organisation, deployed a team of monitors across Istanbul to observe Sunday’s election. | The Council of Europe, a France-based human rights organisation, deployed a team of monitors across Istanbul to observe Sunday’s election. |
| Additional reporting by Gökçe Saraçoğlu | Additional reporting by Gökçe Saraçoğlu |
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| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
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