Ekrem Imamoglu, mayoral candidate of the secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP), was leading with 53.6% of votes versus 45.4% for Erdogan’s AK Party (AKP) candidate, with nearly 95% of the city’s ballots opened, Turkish broadcasters said according to Reuters.
“As of now my rival is leading,” AKP candidate and former prime minister Binali Yildirim said minutes after the initial results were released.
“I congratulate him and wish him all the luck. My wish is for Imamoglu to serve Istanbul well,” he said.
Imamoglu had won the original mayoral election on March 31 by a narrow margin that prompted the AKP to demand a re-run, citing what it said were voting irregularities.
The High Election Board’s decision to grant that request drew criticism from Turkey’s Western allies and from Erdogan’s opponents at home, stirring concerns about the rule of law and raising the stakes in a re-run that many Turks saw as a test of their country’s democracy.
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