Turkey, which has been under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party for two decades, is at a turning point, as the Turkish head of state himself acknowledged, after the historic victory of the opposition in the municipal elections.

The near-final election results give the People’s Democratic Party (CHP) a wide victory, even in the Anatolian provinces that were until yesterday a stronghold of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

In Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya… the CHP, whose candidate was defeated in the May 2023 presidential elections, prevails in the largest cities, even in Bursa, a conservative stronghold, as well as in other Anatolian provinces that were taken for granted for the ruling party.

According to observers, this is President Erdogan’s biggest electoral defeat since his party came to power in 2002.

Last night, and as the counting of votes continued, the president of Turkey admitted that this was a “turning point” and promised to “respect the country’s decision”.

“Message”

The pro-government newspapers Hürriyet and Yeni Safak talk on their front pages about the “message” that the Turks tried to send to the government, faced with a serious economic crisis.

However, the editor of Hürriyet’s main article, Abdulkadir Selvi, admits that “a new wind” is blowing in Turkey, “which cannot be explained by economics alone.”

In his opinion, Erdogan, who was re-elected just last year, faces a “new political equation”.

“Revolution at the polls”

“Revolution at the polls,” is the front-page headline of Sözcü, a nationalist grassroots newspaper hostile to Erdogan, while Cumhuriyet hails a “historic victory” in white letters on a red background, the colors of the Turkish flag.

The opposition’s electoral victory was predicted for Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey’s political and financial capitals, which had already been lost in the 2019 municipal elections to Erdogan. But the dimensions of the victory took political observers by surprise. The opposition’s electoral victory is considered unprecedented since 1977 and is expected to reshape the country’s electoral geography.

A leading figure of the Turkish opposition since his victory in the municipal elections in Istanbul five years ago, Ekrem Imamoglu, very popular throughout the country, is already in the race for the 2028 presidential elections.

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, who was re-elected in triumphant fashion with a 30 percentage point lead over his AKP rival, also comes out of the election much strengthened.

Hürriyet’s Abdulkadir Selvi even predicts a “race between Imamoglu and Javanese” ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.

Tayyip Erdogan said last month that these municipal elections are the last to be organized under his leadership, hinting that he is heading for political retirement.

Last night, in front of his supporters, 70-year-old Erdogan called for the four years remaining until the 2028 presidential election to be “not wasted”.