Turkey to Re-run Istanbul Election after Ruling Party Loses

The Turkish Supreme Election Council, YSK on Monday ordered a re-run of March's mayoral elections in Istanbul after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's coalition complained of irregularities following its defeat at the polls in the country's biggest city.

The main opposition parties' popular joint candidate Ekrem Imamoglu, from the Republican People's Party, CHP, had won the elections on March 31, gaining 23,000 votes more than his Erdogan-backed rival in Istanbul.

The defeat in Istanbul, alongside with electoral losses in other major metropolitan cities including the capital Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Adana, and Mersin, was a major setback for Erdogan and raised questions about the strength of his rule. 

His coalition filed a series of complaints about alleged irregularities at the elections, although the opposition denied there were major problems with the polls.

"It is clear that there is corruption and serious doubts in these elections [in Istanbul]. The YSK should cancel the elections and in this way, the YSK should cleanse itself," Erdogan said on May 4, two days before the electoral body's decision.

Erdogan was once Istanbul's mayor and the city carries symbolic importance for the strongman leader who has been in power for 16 years.

Opposition mayoral candidate Imamoglu urged his supporters in Istanbul to renew their efforts to win control of the city, using a quote from Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

"Decision-makers in the country may be in error, misguided and may even be traitors… but we will never give up, do not lose your hope! Everything will be good," Imamoglu said.

After Imamoglu's statement, residents in some Istanbul neighbourhoods protested against the YSK's decision by banging on pots and pans...