On March 31, 2024, Turkey held regular municipal elections, which the ruling party of the president lost for the first time.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP), the political party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, received about 35.5% of the vote in the election, behind the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which won 37.8%.
The Republican People’s Party is Turkey’s main opposition party, led by Özgür Özel. The CHP candidates were able to win in many major cities such as Izmir, Adana and Bursa. In Istanbul and Ankara, incumbent mayors – also members of the RNP – won.
Ekrem Imamoglu has been the mayor of Istanbul since 2019. He received about 50.6 percent of the vote in the recent elections, more than the 40.5 percent for the AKP candidate.
Mansur Yavaş also, like Imamoğlu, assumed his position as Ankara mayor in 2019. In the election results, Yavaş received 62% of the vote, beating Turgun Altınk, the presidential party candidate.
Turks are beginning to increasingly support the opposition, which could affect future presidential elections. Imamoglu, who has ideas completely opposite to Erdogan’s, is now considered the main contender for the presidency. Imamoglu is very popular, which gives him a chance to run for the presidency of Turkey in 2028.
