Ekrem Imamoglu wins Istanbul mayoral election, says victory marks ‘new beginning’ for Turkey
- Imamoglu, candidate of the Republican People’s Party, vows to work closely with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- Victory is a major blow for the president’s ruling AK Party
Turkey’s opposition has dealt President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a stinging blow by winning control of Istanbul in a repeated mayoral election, breaking his aura of invincibility and delivering a message from voters unhappy over his policies.
Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) secured more than 54 per cent of votes, according to state-owned Anadolu news agency – a bigger victory margin than his narrow win three months ago.
The previous result was annulled after protests from Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party, which said there were widespread voting irregularities. The decision to repeat the vote was criticised by Western allies and caused uproar among domestic opponents who said Turkey’s democracy was under threat.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of Imamoglu supporters celebrated in the streets of Istanbul after the former businessman triumphed over Erdogan’s hand-picked candidate by almost 800,000 votes.
“In this city today, you have fixed democracy. Thank you Istanbul,” Imamoglu told supporters. “We came to embrace everyone. We will build democracy in this city, we will build justice. In this beautiful city, I promise, we will build the future.”