Erdogan promises to “respect the decision” of the Turks in today’s municipal elections – News

“We will not disrespect our nation’s decision, we will avoid being stubborn, acting against the national will and putting the nation’s power into question,” Erdogan told journalists at the headquarters of his party force, the Justice and Development Party (AKP). ), in Ankara, cited by France Presse (AFP).

Erdogan admitted that the partial results of the elections, which give the opposition party the leadership of several municipalities, constitute a “turning point”.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get the results we wanted”, he admitted.

The main Turkish opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP, its acronym in Turkish), claimed a “historic” victory, after defeating the AKP in the country’s main cities, according to the official, still partial, results of the local elections. of today.

With the results reported in 81.91% of the polls, the CHP obtained 37.13% of the votes, and the AKP 36.02%, and prevailed in the country’s main cities, such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

In Ankara, the country’s capital, the current mayor, Mansur Yavas, has already claimed victory in today’s elections, in front of a festive crowd, AFP found at the scene.

“The elections are over, we will continue to serve Ankara and the six million inhabitants, without discrimination”, promised the leader, elected by the CHP.

The outgoing mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, also from the CHP, has already announced his re-election.

“We are in first place, with an increase of more than a million votes (…). We won the election,” he told journalists.

The municipal map has changed in recent decades in Turkey, with the AKP (Islamic conservative) dominating the center and north of the country, while the main rival — CHP (social democrat) — prevails in the western and Mediterranean part.

In the last municipal elections, in 2019, the AKP won in 740 municipalities compared to its rival’s 240, but the decisive victories were concentrated in areas with the largest population and economic weight, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.

The conquest of the city councils of Istanbul and Ankara by the CHP in 2019 meant a serious setback for Erdogan, who focused his political speech on the reconquest of Istanbul.

In statements on March 8, Erdogan admitted for the first time the end of his power by ensuring that the municipal elections on March 31 would be his last elections.

With 16 million inhabitants, Istanbul is the financial, social and cultural engine of Turkey, in addition to having a symbolic value: between 1994 and 1994 Erdogan was president of the city council and it was in this great metropolis that he began his political career, in a mandate something turbulent.

Around 61.4 million voters were called to the polls in Turkey’s 81 provinces, 30 of which are classified as “macro-urban”, meaning that the mayor of the provincial capital governs the destinies of the entire province, which gives it great political relevance.