The opposition has emerged victorious in the municipal elections held in Turkey’s two major cities, Istanbul and Ankara, according to partial results. In Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu is currently leading with 50.4% of the votes against his rival’s 40.9%, while in Ankara, Mansur Yavas has 58.6% of the votes compared to 33.5% for his opponent.
Imamoglu in Istanbul has not yet reacted to the results, but his supporters have gathered at the municipality headquarters in celebration. He is widely regarded as a prominent opponent of President Erdogan and his potential re-election as mayor could put him in contention for the 2028 presidential race. The victory signals a significant shift in Turkish politics and opens the door to a new era in the country.
The ruling party had campaigned heavily for their candidates, but polling institutes favored opposition mayors such as Imamoglu and Yavas due to the economic crisis affecting households. In response to the results, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party stated that voters had chosen to change the political climate after years of dominance by the ruling party. While ruling party candidates led in other cities, the main opposition party had comfortable leads in Kurdish-majority areas. The president was expected to speak following
