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EPA
"Thank you Istanbul": Victory poster shows Erdogan (R) and Binali Yildirim mayoral candidate
The AK party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan disputes the slim victory of the opposition in the country's largest city, Istanbul.
Sunday's municipal elections also helped the opposition win victories in the capital, Ankara, and Izmir.
The AKP alleges irregularities and challenges the results in every district of Istanbul. Officially, the CHP is ahead of 25,000 votes in the city.
The posters of the giant AKP victory were laid in Istanbul.
The secularist CHP (Republican People's Party) condemned this initiative, accusing the AKP, of Islamist origin, of attempting to steal the result.
The AKP also disputes the victory of the CHP in Ankara.
Some media largely controlled by the government report allegations that stolen ballots have affected the smooth functioning of the party.
In the past, Turkish opposition parties have failed to challenge the election results.
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Is this a big setback for Erdogan?
Nationwide, an alliance led by the AKP garnered 51.6% of the vote.
But Istanbul has been in the hands of parties linked to Erdogan since 1994, the year he was elected mayor of the city.
Mark Lowen of the BBC in Istanbul said the loss of big cities was a blow to Erdogan, breaking his image of invincibility.
The elections, considered a verdict on Erdogan's 16-year reign, took place during a period of economic slowdown.
The Turkish lira has recently lost value and the economy has gone into recession during the last three months of 2018. Inflation has climbed to 20% last year and unemployment has also risen .
Our correspondent said that Erdogan turned the poll into a referendum on himself. But now, an opposition long seen as a desperate division has now come to life.
Turkey's bands still love Mr. Erdogan, but half of the country that hates its polarizing president is beginning to believe that it's beatable, Lowen said.
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AFP
PSC supporters celebrated in Ankara Sunday evening
what are the results?
More than 57 million people in the country have registered to vote for mayors and councilors. The participation rate was high at just under 85%.
The results, reported by the state-run Anadolu news agency, show:
- Istanbul – 48.8% cogeneration, 48.5% of AKP
- Ankara – 50.9% cogeneration, 47% of AKP
- Izmir – 58% CHP, 38.6% AKP
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AFP
CHP mayoral candidate for Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, won a close victory
The AKP had declared that its Istanbul candidate, former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, was ahead of 4,000 votes. He conceded later that his opponent had a narrow lead, only for the AKP to claim victory again.
What happened during the campaign?
It was the first municipal vote since Erdogan badumed broad executive powers in last year 's presidential election.
The AKP launched a general purge after the failed coup of 2016. The government has arrested more than 77,000 people and suspended or fired about 150,000 civil servants and military.
The AKP has won every election since coming to power in 2002.
Erdogan, whose two-month campaign included 100 rallies, said the poll was about the "survival" of Turkey and his party.
With most media being pro-government or controlled by Erdogan's supporters, critics believe that opposition parties have campaigned in a disadvantaged position. Erdogan's rallies dominated television coverage.
The pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) said the elections were unfair and refused to nominate candidates in several cities.
Some of its leaders have been imprisoned for terrorism, accusations they reject.
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