3 April 2019 - 18:48

CHP candidate in Istanbul Imamoglu demands mandate

<p style="text-align: left;">Turkey's main opposition CHP's candidate in Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, called on the High Election Board (YSK) on April 2 to mandate him as elected mayor, after the ruling AKP objected to results that saw him earn a narrow victory over his rival Binali Yildirim.

Speaking to reporters in Istanbul after the YSK ruled in favor of recounting votes in eight districts of the country's largest city, Imamoglu said that while there could be minor errors in vote counts the outcome will not change, Hurriyet daily reported.

Initial results from Sunday’s mayoral elections showed the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had narrowly won control of Turkey’s two biggest cities, Istanbul and Ankara, in a shock upset for President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP.

If those results are confirmed in the coming days, the CHP will gain control of municipal budgets with an estimated total value of 32.6 billion liras ($5.79 billion) for 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey’s commercial hub, and the capital Ankara.

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