Turkish Elections: An (Un)expected Turn of Events

TURKEY, (Patra) - Based on 91.7 percent of votes counted, President Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) won 51.7 percent of the votes, while the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) received the support of 37.6 percent of voters, reports Patria.

For the first time in its 16 years in power, President Erdogan's party experienced a defeat in Ankara, where the candidate of the secular CHP, Mansur Yavas, won.

On Monday morning, leaders of both parties declared victory in Istanbul.

Several hours later, the opposition CHP candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, took the lead in the race for Istanbul mayor, confirmed the President of the Supreme Electoral Council, Sadi Guven. According to preliminary results, he won 4,159,650 votes, and Erdogan's AKP candidate, Binali Yildirim, received 4,131,761 votes, agencies report. Some Turkish media have called this turn of events historic, comparing it to the 1994 elections when Erdogan was elected mayor of Istanbul.

The elections are taking place amidst an economic downturn in Turkey, which the opposition attributes to the ruling party. The domestic lira has depreciated, and the economy has been in recession since October 2018.

President Erdogan called the elections a matter of the country's 'survival', as well as his party's. Referring to the results of state management, he promised to take corrective measures 'if there were shortcomings'.

More than 57 million residents of Turkey were registered to vote, and turnout was quite high, around 85%.

In Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, opposition candidate Mustafa Tunc Soyer is leading with 58.1 percent of the votes, while Nihat Zeybekci, the candidate of Erdogan's coalition, received the support of 38.5 percent of voters.

'People voted in favor of democracy. They chose democracy,' said CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The AKP had won all elections since coming to power in 2002 until now.