Stunning landslide rejection of Erdogan's party as Istanbul elects its new mayor

American Thinker ^ | 06/24/2019 | Thomas Lifson

[SeekAndFind]

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Islamist president of Turkey, attained national office after first serving as mayor of Istanbul, the mega-city that contains roughly 20% of the population of Turkey and which accounts for a third of that nation's GDP.  Now the city that birthed his national career has rejected the his party's candidate for mayor in a stinging rebuke.

Bloomberg reports:

Turkish opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu won the redo of the Istanbul mayor's race by a landslide on Sunday, in a stinging indictment of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's economic policies and increasingly autocratic ways.

According to state-run Anadolu news agency, Imamoglu of the CHP party won 54% of the vote, and the ruling AK Party's candidate, former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim captured 45%, with more than 95% of ballot boxes opened. AK Party had narrowly lost the March 31 election, and the broad margin this time for the political upstart telegraphed undeniably that voters are concerned about the crumbling of Turkey's democratic foundations and an economy reeling from a spike in consumer prices and unemployment.

Istanbul's voters seem to have resented to do-over election and many former AK Party voters switched to the opposition.

Caricature of President Erdoğan by Donkey Hotey.

There will not be another do-over, but Erdoğan probably will not accept the voters' verdict without pushback:

[2banana]

The Trump Curse strikes again...

[dfwgator]

Dead Man Walking.

[bboop]

Erdogan had a re-do on the election; first time he lost by 17,000 votes. Second election he lost by 775,000 votes. The celebrants had Ataturk signs and posters/ celebrating the man who founded the modern, secular Turkish state (which Erdogan has dismantled). Well done, Turkey.

[Buckeye McFrog]

This guy is gonna be run off. He’ll end up living with Gulan in Scranton, PA.

[Billthedrill]

Erdogan, who had challenged Imamoglu's win in the original ballot, said last week that he would accept the outcome of the race but hinted that legal troubles could await the opposition candidate.

A sore loser taking inspiration from the Democrats.

[dfwgator]

“Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.”

[MeganC]

Erdoğan will predictably outlaw the opposition party and arrest and maybe execute the new mayor.

[karnage]

Same will happen to Dims in US presidential election 2020.

[Eleutheria5]

Yay.

[Kriggerel]

Sounds like Sultan Erdogan is going to force the election winner to take the Midnight Express. (rolls eyes)

[SunkenCiv]

...roughly 20% of the population of Turkey and which accounts for a third of that nation's GDP.

Erdogan will just arrest all the officials in Istanbul, then blame Jews, Israel, and Fethullah Gulen.

[bert]

He had one coup attempt and destroyed the leaders. He now has more than half of Istanbul giving what amounts to a vote of no confidence.

The pertinent Question: With which faaction does the military side? Does the military favor a dictator?

[SunkenCiv]

All Turkey needs is one quietly dissatisfied soldier with an opportunity, not the whole army. Kemalists have been purged over the years of Erdogan's dictatorship. Regardless, however he leaves office (natural causes and murder being the only two likely reasons), whatever follows him is going to be even worse.

[Nuc 1.1]

I feel sorry for the Turkish people. Islamists don’t relinquish power democratically.