Turkish opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has secured its first victory in mayoral election in Ankara since 1994, with the party's candidate outrunning his rival from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) by a narrow margin, local media reported, citing the country's election commission
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2019) Turkish opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has secured its first victory in mayoral election in Ankara since 1994, with the party's candidate outrunning his rival from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) by a narrow margin, local media reported, citing the country's election commission.
On March 31, Turkish citizens voted in municipal elections, choosing new mayors of cities, municipal leaders, heads of villages and members of village councils, among others. CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has claimed his party's victory in the mayoral elections in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, some of the country's largest cities.
The CHP candidate, Mansur Yavas, obtained 50.9 percent of the vote, while AKP's Mehmet Ozhaseki had won 47.06 percent, with 99.8 percent of the ballots counted, the Hurriyet Daily news reported.
The latest results have also confirmed that opposition candidates are highly likely to emerge victorious in mayoral elections in Izmir by a large margin. In Istanbul, however, the CHP and AKP candidates are tied, having secured 48.65 and 48.7 percent of the vote, respectively, after 98.79 percent of the vote have been counted.
At the same time, the AKP has won the municipal elections in 40 out of 81 Turkish provinces, winning 44.42 percent of the vote overall, while the CHP is standing second with 30.07 percent, as 99.01 percent of the ballots have been tallied.
