Turkey’s opposition achieved a significant victory in the country’s local elections, winning several major cities and dealing a blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, representing the center-left Republican People’s Party (CHP), won the megacity of Istanbul by more than 1 million votes. Erdogan’s conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) has dominated the country at the national level, and he conceded that his party had “lost altitude” and would work to rectify its errors.
The opposition’s sweeping win in municipal elections across major Turkish cities like Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara may signal a new direction for the country. Analysts speculate that Imamoglu’s victory in Istanbul could position him as a front-runner for the Turkish presidency in 2028. Erdogan himself had once stated that whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey. Imamoglu, a former businessman, had previously attempted to run for president in 2023 but was banned by Erdogan’s government, which led to AKP winning big in those elections and maintaining dominance at the national level.
Roughly 61 million voters were eligible to cast their votes across Turkey’s 81 provinces in the local elections, with a voter turnout of 76%. The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that CHP emerged victorious in 36 of the 81 provinces, including several major cities. The economy was a significant factor in the outcome, with Turkey facing rampant inflation, a weak currency, and struggling foreign currency reserves. Annual inflation in the country reached 67% in February, with the main interest rate at 50%, causing hardships for Turkish consumers.
Economic issues such as inflation played a key role in the opposition’s success in the local elections, according to analysts. Timothy Ash, a senior emerging markets strategist, attributed the AKP’s defeat to “inflation.” Arda Tunca, an Istanbul-based economist, noted that the 2018 economic crisis had initially impacted major cities, leading to the AKP’s loss in those areas. However, the threat of impoverishment and unemployment has since spread across the country, contributing to the broader dissatisfaction with the ruling party.
Turkey’s currency, the lira, has been severely affected by economic challenges, trading at record lows against the dollar. The lira was trading at 32.43 to the dollar in Istanbul on Monday morning, having lost 40% of its value against the dollar in the past year and nearly 83% in the last five years. The economic hardships faced by Turkish citizens have led to widespread discontent and likely influenced the outcome of the local elections. The opposition’s victory in major cities like Istanbul signals a shift in Turkish politics, potentially setting the stage for a new era in the country’s governance.
