London, Thanasis Gavos

The re-elected mayor describes the results of the recent local elections in the country as a “milestone” in the history of Turkey Ekrem Imamoglou of Istanbul with an article by Economist.

As he reports, with most local power having passed to the opposition, “Turkey is no longer short of options, its trajectory is firmly set towards democracy again”.

He also speaks, among other things, of “redrawing the electoral map” from the “clear message” of voters that “from now on they want to see a country governed by the rule of law and democracy”, against the polarized country and the deep economic crisis created by the current administration.

He also writes of a desire for change by the Turkish people in how the country is governed, with March 31, the day of the election process, marking “the end of the erosion of democracy” in Turkey.

“It is a turning point (…) that shows how authoritarian tendencies can be challenged and set an example for the world,” adds Mr. Imamoglou.

He ends by noting that the Republican People’s Party to which he belongs has emerged as the strongest alternative to the party of Mr. Erdogan on the country’s leadership: “As we move towards the next presidential and parliamentary elections, changes at the local level will pave the way for broader changes at the national level (…) the Republic of Turkey enters its second century with renewed faith in democracy”.