Erdogan loses capital in local elections

 

Turkey’s  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a major setback in local elections after his party lost the control of the capital Ankara. The opposition party is also claiming victory in Istanbul.

Turkish media said the secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Mansur Yavas had won a clear victory in Ankara.

However both the CHP and Mr Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) claimed victory by a slender margins in Istanbul, the country’s biggest city.

The election came amid an economic downturn and was widely seen as a referendum on his leadership. Erdogan had previously said the poll was about the “survival” of the country and his party, which has dominated Turkish politics for 16 years.

More than 57 million people in the country were registered to vote for mayors and councillors.

 

Via BBC