Erdogan's defeat in Ankara and Istanbul

From our correspondent
ISTANBUL – “We won.” He stated that Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, who, after counting more than 85% of the votes, obtained more than 50% of the votes, and was reconfirmed as first citizen, and thus his victory over Murat Kurum, the candidate supported by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was stopped at 40%. “The people of Istanbul have given us power,” Imamoglu said when announcing his victory during a speech at the headquarters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party in Istanbul. “You have opened the door to the future,” Imamoglu said, thanking voters and criticizing the “authoritarian regime” of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

They arrived one by one, red flags in their crescent hands, children in their arms, and now dancing happily awaiting the arrival of the mayor of Istanbul, who has just been re-elected in a vote that has taken on great national importance. They chant his name, “Ekrem Imamoglu,” “Ekrem Imamoglu.” They turn on their cell phone lights. They make the lanterns fly. The climate is liberating. “Türkiye was born secular and will remain so.” We are in Al-Fatih, in the Islamic QuarterThe AKP stronghold was symbolically occupied by several thousand opponents this evening: “Erdogan resigns,” they shouted.

“The painting looks great to me, and we are very happy. 40% of the votes have been counted and we are in the lead.” With these words said the outgoing mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, one of the most prominent advocates of the Kemalist Republican People’s Party, a thorn in the side of the government. President Recep Tayyip ErdoganHe addressed journalists at the party's headquarters in Istanbul at 7.45 pm local time (6.45 pm Italian time). “But we know that the elections are not over yet Until the last vote is counted, “Today is certainly a celebration of democracy, thanks to those who voted.”

In a blog post on the outgoing D.C. Mayor X Mansour Yavas He announced that the match had already ended due to the twenty-point difference over his opponent, Turgut Altinok. In the capital, people took to the streets chanting: “Turkey was born secular and will remain so.”

The Republican People's Party is also in the lead And Smyrna, Across the Aegean and Mediterranean coast, in total 35 cities out of 81, while the pro-Kurdish party dominates in the southeast. The Justice and Development Party is still in control Over much of central Anatolia, Such as Konya, Kayseri, Erzurum, and in the Black Sea, in the cities of Rize and Trabzon.

The atmosphere at the Justice and Development Party headquarters in the major city is leaden. With a message marked with the letter X, the Turkish president called on the nation to “protect ballot boxes and votes,” but has not yet commented on the results. Restoring the country's economic capital, which it lost in 2019 after nearly half a century of unchallenged rule, has been the state's obsession. Sultan Who, during these weeks of the election campaign, mobilized the entire executive branch to support the candidate for the position of mayor. This is a circumstance that Imamoglu emphasized yesterday: “The government must return to Ankara to work – he shouted yesterday amid applause – they have neglected their duties for three months, do not let them plunder the city.”

Voting was held in 81 municipalities spread throughout the national territory, and 61 million people are entitled to vote. But the city's major budget of 516 billion Turkish liras (14.70 billion euros), It dwarfs other cities, including Ankara which has 92 billion Turkish liras at its disposal.

«Whoever rules Istanbul rules TürkiyeHe likes to repeat the Sultan, who was born here and was mayor from 1994 to 1997. He said yesterday: “We will respect the popular will, but I am sure that no one will allow another five years to be wasted.” During another march in the city overlooking the Bosphorus Strait, it was broadcast live on state television Thai Rak Thai Party.

In Istanbul, in the Cihangir district, the polling station is located at the Firuzaga Ilkokulu School It's not as full as usual. It is said that this is due to the celebrations of the night after Ramadan. Voter turnout in Türkiye is usually very high, In 2019 in Istanbul, it reached 90%. But with nine elections in ten years, citizens may begin to show signs of fatigue. Fouad (42 years old) came to the polling station with his mother Dondo (72 years old), who wears a black veil on her head. I voted for İmamoğlu: He added: “We hope that the national government will change sooner or later. We cannot afford that anymore.” But the woman is a staunch supporter of the Justice and Development Party because she only trusts Erdogan, as does 41-year-old Hussein: “Imamoğlu did not do anything, at least the president had some ideas and then “If Corum wins, we will be in harmony with the national government.” There is great confidence in the Turkish president. Adam (60 years old) expressed his conviction that Erdogan will retire at the end of this term and will not try to distort the constitution to stay on the right track. “It's the best we can get – He says – And most of all. After Ataturk, of course.”

We move on In one of the schools in Al-Fateh neighborhoodIt is a very religious neighborhood where the AKP has always won. Here the turnout rate appears much higher. It is rumored that for the first time It is possible that the candidate of the Republican People's Party, Mahir Polat, will win the region. The constant battle divides families. Ibrahim, 60, explains to us that he voted for İmamoğlu as mayor because the AKP's position on Gaza is hypocritical: “They say they are against Israel but then they make business from it.” But in the secrecy of the ballot boxes, local votes went in favor of the AKP candidate. Ali, his 30-year-old son, looks at him amused: “Dad, I understood that we would support the CHP, I didn’t know you changed your mind.” The mother, veiled in white, nods and turns red. “We are Kurds – the boy explains, “We should choose the Democrats (the new name for the pro-Kurdish party) but we don't want to scatter the votes.”

Unlike what happened in last year's presidential elections, the opposition was unable to form an alliance to confront the alliance between the Justice and Development Party and the nationalists in Turkey. Devlet Bahceli. Thus, Meral Akşener's Good Party and the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party presented their candidates who, according to opinion polls, would not receive more than 3% of the votes in Ankara and Istanbul.