Turkey’s Opposition CHP Party Beats Ruling AKP in Local Elections – Early Results

Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is ahead of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in municipal elections for the first time in 20 years after 50% of the ballots have been processed, according to the voting data published by Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber.

The CHP currently has 37.8% of the votes and is slightly ahead of the AKP, which has 36.8%. The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) brings up the rear of the top three with just under 6% of the vote, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is allied with the AKP, has less than 4%.

Established in 2001, the AKP has come first in every municipal election since 2004.

The Nation Alliance, a coalition of six opposition parties running for the presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023, was essentially dissolved after unsatisfactory voting results. In the current municipal elections, the CHP is flying solo.

Meanwhile, CHP new leader Ozgur Ozel described the preliminary outcome as a “historic result” and a “clear signal” to the incumbent government.

Turks were voting on Sunday to elect mayors of 81 cities, including 30 megacities, heads of municipalities, village and district heads, and village councils.

Source: Sputnik