Turkey, Erdogan beaten in local elections. Opposition is stronger for the first time
Erdogan's party still proved strong in parts of central Anatolia, although it lost several provinces in the region, historically its stronghold, both to the Chp but also due to the victories of the Islamist Yeniden Refah Partisi and the extreme right-wing nationalist Mhp party, formations that supported Erdogan in last year's presidential elections
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Turkey's largest nationwide opposition party, the Chp, achieved the highest number of votes in yesterday's local elections on 31 March, with 37.7 per cent, beating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Akp for the first time, which obtained 35.4 per cent, marking one of the lowest results in its political history.
This is according to data published by state TV Trt, with over 99% of ballots counted, while the results will be officially confirmed in the coming days by the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (Ysk). Chp mayors won in the country's five largest cities, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
Erdogan's party still proved strong in parts of central Anatolia, although it lost several provinces in the region, historically its stronghold, both to the Chp but also due to the victories of the Islamist Yeniden Refah Partisi and the far-right nationalist Mhp party, formations that supported Erdogan in last year's presidential elections.
The pro-Kurdish and left-wing Dem party achieved an excellent result in the south-east, on the border with Syria and Turkey, increasing the number of its votes and provinces won, compared to five years ago. According to the Turkish Electoral Council, the turnout was 78.7 per cent, down from the local elections five years ago, when 84.6 per cent of the eligible voters voted, and also compared to last year's presidential elections, when the turnout was close to 90 per cent.
Erdogan admitted the opposition's historic victory in the Turkish municipal elections. "We did not get what we wanted," the president commented. The Chp social democrats also won Istanbul and Ankara, according to preliminary figures. The announcement of the final results is expected today. Opposition leader Ozel speaks of a 'historic' event. One dead and 12 injured in incidents that broke out near the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir in the southeast of the country.
