Turkey: Imamoglu’s First Statements After Istanbul’s Great Victory in Municipal Election · Global Voices

A major winner of Turkey’s municipal election is the mayor, who secured a 10-point difference against President Erdogan’s chosen, Murat Kurum. “We won the elections in Istanbul” Erem Imamoglu said in the first statements He said that after counting 96% of the vote he leads with over a million votes from his opponent, AKP candidate. Imamoglu thanked voters, members of his group for the great victory and also the volunteers who helped in the election process. Imamoglu had taken the municipality of Istanbul from the ruling Justice and Development Party, in the 2019 election, after 25 years. For Erdoğan the recovery of the municipality of Istanbul, from where it started climbing politics, has since become a goal of life. But he didn’t make it. Constantinople of 16 million inhabitants officially, perhaps of 20 million unofficially, population is greater than 131 countries in the world, produces 30 to 40% of Turkish GDP, manages a huge budget and holds the most expensive “filettes” of real estate in the country. The city would be an important asset to strengthen Erdogan’s authority.