Council of Europe on the ground

Turks elect mayors on Sunday

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu during the election campaign(Bild: AFP)

Local elections will be held in 81 provinces in Turkey on Sunday. Around 61 million people will be able to vote for mayors, among others. The focus is on the metropolis of Istanbul.

Erdogan's Islamic-conservative AKP had lost the country's largest city to the opposition for five years and now wants to win it back. In this respect, the election is also a test of the mood of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was re-elected around ten months ago. Polls indicate a close race between the AKP candidate, Murat Kurum (47), and Ekrem Imamoglu (53) from the largest opposition party CHP. 

Future challenger to Erdogan?
If the AKP wins back Istanbul, Erdogan, who used to be mayor there, will be further strengthened in his power. However, if Imamoglu wins again, he could become the incumbent president's challenger in the next presidential election.

Election campaign(Bild: AFP)

The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu(Bild: AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan(Bild: AP)

Around 16 million people live in Istanbul, which accounts for around a third of Turkey's economic output. Topics during the election campaign included the massive inflation rate of around 67 percent and infrastructure projects. However, it was not considered fair, as the majority of the media in Turkey is under the direct or indirect control of the government.

A delegation from the Council of Europe and the Left Party is observing the elections on the ground. The first official results are expected late on Sunday evening.