Türkiye opposition victorious in elections that deal major blow to Erdogan

Türkiye's leader says his party is facing a "turning point" and will "correct our mistakes" after its biggest defeat at the polls in more than two decades in power.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the ruling AKP "will not disrespect our nation's decision in any way" after the opposition Republicans won 38 percent of the overall vote in local and municipal elections, which saw support for the AKP fall to 35 percent. 

The result hands control of five of Türkiye's biggest cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, to the Republican People's Party (CHP). The secular opposition party also extended its gains along the Black Sea coast and into central Anatolia, in areas previously considered to be strongly loyal to the islamist AKP.

It also raises speculation that Erdogan may not run for presidency again in 2028, as some had expected.

AKP struggles as CHP grows

It marks a complete turnaround in the fortunes of Erdogan's party, just nine months after the AKP's success in presidential polls left a united opposition in disarray. 

The CHP increased its portion of the vote in many areas, particularly the capital Ankara where the vote for the populist mayor Mansur Yavas was almost double that of his AKP rival. Yavas told crowds the result sent a "clear message to those who rule this country."

In Türkiye's economic and business powerhouse Istanbul, the CHP's incumbent mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also consolidated his position, receiving over a million votes more than his AKP opponent.

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Imamoglu, defending a mayoralty he won in 2019, is now widely tipped as the Republican candidate to face Erdogan in the next presidential race in 2028.

Amid jubilant scenes in Istanbul, Imamoglu asked supporters: "In those ballot boxes tomorrow, are we ready to show the people's will and the strongest answer to those who tried to put you in your place, who tried to set you up with lies, slander and conspiracy?"   

Imamoglu also took a swipe at Erdogan, who became Türkiye's prime minister from 2003 to 2014 and then its first-ever elected president: "The period of one-person rule has ended as of today."

New party splits Erdogan vote

In an election that was dominated by the rising cost of living, the AKP vote was also split by a new Islamist Welfare Party, that in a shock result took control of Erdogan's former stronghold of Sanliurfa in the south east. With an official inflation rate running at close to 70 percent, its leaders have accused the AKP of economic mismanagement and abandoning the needs of its core constituents. 

Elsewhere, there were significant gains for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), which took 10 provinces in areas where many of the party's existing mayors have previously been removed from office by the AKP. 

Analysts say the elections mark a sea change for the nation, just months after celebrations to commemorate the republic's centenary, and sends a clear message for the presidential poll in four years' time.  

Nodding to widespread Kurdish support for Imamoglu in Istanbul, Mert Arslanalp, assistant professor at the city's  Bogazici University, said "Imamoglu demonstrated he could reach across the deep socio-political divisions that define Türkiye's opposition electorate even without their institutional support."

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