Erdogan Appears to Suffer Major Defeats in Turkey’s Two Biggest Cities

Source:New York Times Date:01Apr2019

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party on Sunday was facing defeat in local elections in the Turkish capital, Ankara, and possibly even Istanbul, its largest city, a result that shook the nation as Mr. Erdogan suffered the first major electoral setback of his decade and a half in power.

Rusen Cakir, a veteran commentator, said on Twitter that the turnaround was as historic as Mr. Erdogan’s arrival on the political stage, when, as an Islamist and former political prisoner, he first won the mayorship of Istanbul.

“The election today is as historic as the local election in 1994,” Mr. Cakir said. “It’s the announcement of a page that was opened 25 years ago and is now being closed.”