İstanbul mayoral election

ISTANBUL/DIYARBAKIR - Many of Turkey's Kurds are set to put aside party loyalty and back Tayyip Erdogan's major rival in Istanbul on Sunday, knocking the president's hopes of winning back the city he once ran, according to pollsters.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is determined to strengthen the building stock of Istanbul before a major earthquake hits Türkiye's largest city, President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, vowing to resolve Istanbul's traffic problem if their candidate, Murat Kurum wins the mayoral polls on March 31.

The main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) leader, Özgür Özel, and Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, have joined forces for their first rally together ahead of the upcoming local elections slated for March 31.

A funeral was held on Feb. 14 for Kadir Topbaş, former mayor of the Turkish metropolis Istanbul. He died on Feb. 13 at the age of 76.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also attended the ceremony at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul.

"We are facing a great calamity. Coronavirus has separated from us many of our companions," Erdoğan said.

The opposition coalition, led by the Republican People's Party (CHP), won in Turkey's three most important metropolitan areas: Ankara, Izmir, and Istanbul.

Today is the reflection day in Istanbul. Tomorrow will be held the second local elections in the largest Turkish city, BNT reported. In preliminary polls, the candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party, Ekrem İmamoğlu, is leading with about 5 percent in front of the former prime minister, Binali Yildirim.

A joint TV interview with the two leading Istanbul mayoral candidates Binali Yıldırım of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Ekrem İmamoğlu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is planned for after the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the AKP deputy chair has announced.

Binali Yıldırım, the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) mayoral candidate for Istanbul, has vowed to "fix problems" that occurred in the metropolitan mayoral election on March 31 in an iftar, or fast-breaking dinner, speech in the iconic Taksim Square.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has vowed to re-win the Istanbul mayoral elections in the June re-run after harshly condemning the election watchdog for cancelling the victory of Ekrem İmamoğlu as the elected mayor of Istanbul. It called all on all "democrats of Turkey to unite to save Turkey's democracy."

Electoral board's decision to re-run Istanbul elections was condemned by Ekrem İmamoğlu from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) who won the mayor's race for Istanbul on March 31 local elections but whose mayoral certificate was canceled by the Supreme Election Council (YSK) on May 6.