Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party led Sunday's mayoral elections but suffered setbacks as the opposition regained hold of the capital Ankara and made significant inroads in other parts of Turkey.
The elections, which the Turkish strongman had depicted as a fight for the country's survival, were largely seen as a test of his support amid a sharp economic downturn.Erdogan's conservative, Islamic-based Justice and Development Party, or AKP, took 44 per cent of the votes in the elections after 99 per cent of the more than 194,000 ballot boxes were counted, according to the official Anadolu Agency.
Former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, the ruling party's candidate for mayor of Istanbul declared victory even though the race in Turkey's largest city and commercial hub was too close to call. Yildirim garnered 48.70 per cent of the votes against the opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu's 48.65 per cent, according to Anadolu, which drew criticism for failing to update results in Istanbul after Yildirim's declaration.
Ankara was considered the main battleground of the race, where a former government environment minister, Mehmet Ozhaseki, ran for mayor under the banner of Erdogan and his nationalist allies. The ruling party accused his opponent Yavas of forgery and tax evasion. Yavas said he is the victim of a smear campaign.Sunday's elections were a first test for Erdogan since he won re-election under a new system of government that gave the presidency expanded powers.
Years of economic prosperity provided Erdogan and his party with previous election victories. But the race for 30 large cities, 51 provincial capitals and hundreds of districts were held as Turkey grapples with a weakened currency, a double-digit inflation rate and soaring food prices.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
When terror strikes the populist leaders cash in - Macleans.caAdnan R. Khan: In Turkey, Europe and the U.S., both white nationalist and radical Islamist terrorism are part of the same self-reinforcing system
Read more »
Victoria Ruvolo, who forgave her attacker, dies at 59Ruvolo, whose face was shattered when a teenager tossed a 20-pound frozen turkey through the windshield of her car in 2004 but who then insisted on mercy in his sentencing
Read more »
Photos: Yellow vests in France, pink crosses in Mexico and anti-government protests around the worldProtests in U.S.A, Turkey and Pakistan commemorated the New Zealand shooting victims while those in Serbia and Algeria criticized respective governments
Read more »
U.S. consulate worker denies espionage charges at start of Turkish trialTrial of Metin Topuz has deepened strains in the fraught ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States
Read more »
Military-backed party leads Thailand's post-coup electionNearly five years after a coup, Thailand voted Sunday in a long-delayed election pitting a military-backed party against the populist political force the generals overthrew.
Read more »