For second time Erdogan's AKP looses the election for mayor of Istanbul

(Photo The Pessoptimist)

The candidate of the Republican People's Party (CHP) on Sunday won the second ballot during the election of the mayor of Istanbul.   After 95% of the votes had been counted, the candidate of the governing AK Party of  Recep Tayip Erdogan conceded he lost. ''According to the result as of now, my competitor Ekrem Imamoglu is leading the race. I congratulate him and wish him good luck," Binali Yildirim said. The CHP had more than 53% of the vote at that moment, while the AKP candidate reached 534,4 percent.
De win of the CHP in Istanbul election ends the 17 year rule by the AK Party in Turkey's largest city and commercial hub. The Istanbul mayoral election was first held on March 31. At that vtime Imamoglu won with 48.8 percent of the vote, while the AK Party's Yildirim got 48.55 percent, so that Imamoglu became mayor with a very small margin. But at the instigation of president Erdogan the AKP contested the results, which had the consequence that the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) annulled the results on dispututede grounds and scheduled a rerun.
The CHP win of this Sunday consequntly has an impact that widely surpasses the significance of a local election. It breaks the uncontested rule of the AKP for the first time. Apart from that Erdogan himself stressed the meaning of ruling Istanbul: 'Whoever loses Istanbul loses Turkey,'' he said.
Underlying the importance of these elections was the fact that they have been monitored more than usual in a Turkeuy where sometimes the counting of votyes is marked by sloppinees. After a call by the CHP lawyers from over the whole country were added to the polling stations and also groups of citizens took p[art in the counting process.