In Setback for Erdogan, Opposition Candidate Wins Istanbul Mayor Seat Sunday’s ballot thrusts opposition politician in one of Turkey’s most powerful and prestigious elected positions By David Gauthier-Villars
https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-setback-for-erdogan-opposition-candidate-wins-istanbul-mayor-seat-11561309654?cx_testId=30&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s
ISTANBUL—An opposition candidate has won a repeat ballot for Istanbul mayor Sunday, ending President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s quarter-century grip on the megalopolis and exposing troubles at his long-dominant ruling party.
The opposition party’s candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, beat a rival from Mr. Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, 54% to 45%, according to a tally of 99% of votes cast released by Turkish state news agency Anadolu.
“It’s a new beginning,” Mr. Imamoglu said in a victory speech.
The AKP candidate, Binali Yildirim, conceded defeat. “I congratulate him and wish him success,” he said in a brief televised address.
Mr. Imamoglu had defeated the AKP candidate in the initial March municipal ballot, but electoral authorities had voided the results after Mr. Erdogan complained of fraud and called for a do-over.
Sunday’s defeat, adding to the loss of the capital, Ankara, in the March elections, is a stinging setback for Mr. Erdogan, who led numerous rallies in support of his AKP protégé ahead of the repeat election. It comes at a delicate time for the president, who is straining to repair a recession-hit Turkish economy and is scheduled to meet President Trump at the end of the week in a bid to defuse a diplomatic standoff with the U.S. CONTINUE AT SITE
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