Binali Yıldırım

The Turkish government will exert the utmost effort to deliver targets set for 2023, the centennial of the Turkish Republic, in the areas of democracy and economy "despite continued interventions by some foreign powers," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

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.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has praised the Supreme Election Board (YSK) decision to hold a re-run mayoral election in Istanbul, calling the March 31 elections in the metropolis "shady."

Turkey slammed the West on May 7 over "its double standards" in response to a do-over decision on Istanbul mayoral election.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled on May 4 that he favors a re-run of a mayoral election in Istanbul which resulted in a victory for the candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

Parliament convened for a special session as part of April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day under the leadership of its speaker, Mustafa Şentop, and with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Binali Yıldırım, former Istanbul mayoral candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), has said that the Supreme Election Council (YSK) will have the final say on the party's pending appeal of election results.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to have their third meeting on April 8 since the beginning of 2019 in Moscow.         

Turkey's main opposition CHP's candidate in Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, called on the High Election Board (YSK) on April 2 to mandate him as elected mayor, after the ruling AKP objected to results that saw him earn a narrow victory over his rival Binali Yıldırım.

The hotly contested municipal elections in Istanbul will have to wait for the official announcement of the results by the Supreme Election Board (YSK) as both the government and the opposition have claimed victory, although initial results by the election watchdog show the latter's candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was ahead of the government's mayoral candidate, Binali Yıldırım, by around 25,000 vote