Secular Party Surpasses Ruling Party for First Time Sparking Nationwide Celebrations
The political landscape of Turkey has undergone a seismic shift after Sunday’s local elections.
The main secular opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), seized control of key cities and broke President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party (AKP) ‘s 22-year rule.
The CHP not only retained its hold over Istanbul and Ankara but also extended its influence to traditionally AKP-dominated provinces.
With over 90% of the votes counted, Istanbul’s incumbent Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu (CHP) and Ankara’s Mayor Mansur Yavas (CHP) celebrated resounding victories, indicating a substantial change in the public’s sentiment towards Erdogan’s rule, AP reported.
The AKP, in contrast, witnessed its support plummet nationwide, garnering only 36% of the votes against the CHP’s 37%.
This electoral triumph extends the CHP’s dominion to 36 of Turkey’s 81 provinces. This result marks the party’s poorest showing since Erdogan co-founded it in 2001 and ascended to power the following year.