Turkey has seen a major shift in its political landscape as preliminary results from Sunday’s local elections showed a remarkable shift in voter allegiances.
Unofficial figures show a significant drop in support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and a historic victory for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), with almost all the ballot boxes counted. This outcome marks a crucial moment in the country’s democratic development.
The parties’ vote percentages in Turkey overall, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency:
AKP: 35.48
CHP: 37.79
DEM Party: 5.70
The triumph of the secularist CHP over the conservative AKP, which has dominated Turkish politics since the early 2000s, is a signal of a potential reshaping of the country’s governance and politics. In particular, the victory of the CHP in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey’s two largest cities, was a major blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his party.
In Istanbul, CHP mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu defeated the AKP candidate by a staggering margin of over one million votes, while in Ankara, CHP mayor Mansur Yavas retained his position by a substantial margin. The CHP also won in Izmir, Turkey’s third most populous city after Istanbul and Ankara, and won in 36 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, indicating a widespread shift in voter sentiment.
The election results not only signify a shift in voter preference but also reflect a broader desire for social change in Turkey. Opposition supporters in Istanbul and beyond celebrated the result, marking a significant turning point for the country.
These elections were seen as a crucial test of Erdoğan’s popularity and his party’s hold on power, particularly in key urban areas that were lost to the opposition in the 2019 elections. Responding to the election results, President Erdoğan acknowledged his party’s ‘loss of altitude’ across the country and vowed to engage in self-reflection and correct mistakes.
Meanwhile, in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast, preliminary results also show a significant blow to Erdoğan’s ruling party, with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party scoring remarkable victories in the region despite widespread allegations of electoral fraud.
In recent years, following the collapse of short-lived peace talks to resolve the country’s Kurdish question in 2015, Erdoğan’s government has increasingly cracked down on the Kurdish political movement, removing elected pro-Kurdish mayors from office and replacing them with state-appointed administrators.
The results of Turkey’s 2024 local elections mark a critical juncture in the country’s political narrative, analysts say, signalling a strong public demand for change. With significant victories across the country for the CHP and the DEM party, Turkey could be on the cusp of a new political era.
