the first trend puts the opposition in the lead in Istanbul and Ankara

The partial counting of the ballot boxes already announces a favorable trend for the opposition in these two key cities, where Recep Tayyip Erdogan campaigned with all his weight. On the other hand, the president’s conservative party, the AKP, appears to be in the lead in the rest of the country.

The investment in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s campaign was probably not enough to convince the country’s two largest cities. The opposition is expected to win in Istanbul, as well as in the capital, Ankara, according to partial results published on Sunday March 31, following the municipal elections. Out of 33% of ballots counted, at 8 p.m., the outgoing CHP (social democrat) mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, was credited with 49.7% against 41.5% for his main opponent from the ruling party, the Party of Justice and Development (AKP, Islamo-conservative).

In Ankara, CHP mayor Mansur Yavas was on track to be re-elected, with 57.1% against 35.6% for his opponent, after counting 15.4% of the ballot boxes. Finally, in Izmir (west), the third city in the country and stronghold of the social democratic party, its candidate is also widely in the lead.

In the rest of the country, the AKP candidates are, as expected, leading the race in several large cities in Anatolia (Konya, Kayseri, Erzurum) and the Black Sea (Rize, Trabzon), strongholds of President Erdogan. , while the pro-Kurdish DEM party is given the victory in the large cities of the southeast with a Kurdish majority, including Diyarbakir, the informal capital of Turkey’s Kurds.

All eyes on Istanbul

A new defeat for his party in Istanbul would have serious consequences for the head of state. And for good reason, the outgoing mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, is subscribed to the podium of the Turks’ favorite political figures. He regularly poses as a direct rival to the head of state, who for his part portrayed him in “part-time mayor”, devoured by his national ambitions.

The next presidential match could thus be played between the two men, who share common origins from the Black Sea and the same passion for football.

Aged 70, the head of state affirmed at the beginning of March that these elections would be his “latest”, suggesting that he will leave power in 2028. Unless he revises the Constitution to offer himself a new candidacy.