Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday acknowledged the historic victory of the opposition in the local elections, which for him represent a "turning point" for his camp, in power since 2002.
After counting 95 percent of the ballots across the country, the Turkish opposition has inflicted the worst electoral debacle on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), won in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey's two largest cities, and is poised to take over other cities, such as Bursa, a large industrial city in the northwest that was taken over from the AKP in in 2004
Last night, from the headquarters of his party in Ankara and in front of a depressed, unusually quiet crowd, Erdogan promised that he would "respect the nation's decision".
Before that, the outgoing mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, said that he won again without waiting for the final results. He has been at the head of Istanbul since 2019.
In Ankara, CHP Mayor Mansur Javas also declared his victory in front of his supporters last night.
"Voters decided to change the face of Turkey," CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said.
In addition to Izmir (in the west), the country's third city and CHP stronghold, and Antalya (in the south) where opposition supporters began celebrating victory in the streets last night, the main opposition group made major inroads in Anatolia.
The CHP is leading the race in provincial capitals long held by the ruling AKP, according to near-final results that surprised observers.
Erdogan, 70, has been in power for 21 years, making a special effort during the campaign for Istanbul, the economic and cultural capital of which he was mayor in the 1990s, and who switched to the opposition in 2019.
During the campaign, Erdogan held daily meetings, using unlimited air time on public television, while his opponents were almost deprived of it.
The defeat of his Justice and Development Party, especially in Istanbul, will have serious consequences.
For many observers, the mayor of Istanbul will have an open path to the presidential elections in 2028.
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