Elections in Turkey: Opposition wins by impressive margin (video)

Supporters of the opposition Republican People's Party celebrate their victory. She won municipalities in 36 of the 81 provinces. Turkey's president called the election results a “turning point.”

How they tell Euronews and AP, in his speech at the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to “assess impartially” what happened and engage in “self-criticism.”

Turkey's president promised to analyze the messages people conveyed during the election campaign and voting and “definitely take the necessary steps.” He noted the fact that “the decision of the people was reflected in the elections without pressure or imposition” and this “is a great achievement of our democracy.”

Turkey's main opposition force, the Republican People's Party, not only retained control of key cities, but also made impressive gains in local elections overall.

According to the final results of counting ballots, with a turnout of 78.5%, the CHP received 37.7% of the votes. The ruling party has 35.5%. The opposition won victories in major cities, including Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. Most municipalities in the West of the country are painted CHP red. The mayor of the capital, Mansur Yawash, beat his rival from the ruling party by a staggering 25% margin.

The Republican People's Party is the oldest active party in Turkey and follows a Kemalist, center-left line. Observers attribute the biggest electoral failure of Erdogan and his party in 20 years to the economic situation in the country. Inflation in Turkey reached 70% last month and is expected to rise further. The opposition also played on citizens' dissatisfaction with the president's authoritarian policies.

The vote was seen as a barometer of the popularity of Erdogan, 70, as he hoped to regain control of key cities. And 53-year-old Imamoglu, having won again in Istanbul, has already declared himself as one of the main characters in the 2028 presidential elections. Erdogan, according to the Constitution, no longer has the right to stand in these elections. However, experts suggested that if his party was successful in the municipal elections, he might try to amend the constitution to try again for re-election.

One person was killed and 11 injured in the city of Diyarbakir, where a dispute over the election of a local administrator turned violent, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Six people were also injured in the neighboring province of Sanliurfa.

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