Istanbul top prize as Turkish citizens vote for local govt setup

On Sunday, Turks cast their votes in municipal elections, with Istanbul drawing particular attention as the prized city that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aims to reclaim from the opposition.

“People are more concerned about their daily lives,” remarked Guler Kaya, who admitted to curtailing her outings due to worries about the ongoing crisis. “The crisis is hitting the middle class hard, forcing us to alter our lifestyles,” added the 43-year-old.

In Ankara, Meliha Sonmez emphasized the broader significance of the election: “This isn’t merely about local governance,” the retiree in her 60s, who lost 32 relatives in the 2023 earthquake in Hatay.

Although not a candidate in the municipal vote, Erdogan’s influence loomed large throughout the campaign and on election day. His political journey began in Istanbul with his election as mayor in 1994. Since then, his allies governed the city until Ekrem Imamoglu of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP) secured victory five years ago, capturing global attention.

Upon securing his re-election as president in May last year, Erdogan initiated efforts to reclaim Istanbul, a city of 16 million people.

“Istanbul is our nation’s gem, treasure, and pride,” he proclaimed at a recent rally. Erman Bakirci, a pollster from Konda Research and Consultancy, recalled Erdogan’s assertion that “Whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey.”

Meanwhile, reports emerged of armed clashes in a Kurdish-majority village in southeast Turkey during voting, resulting in one fatality and 12 injuries, according to a local official.

Erdogan has endorsed former environment minister Murat Kurum as his candidate for Istanbul. Although polls indicate a slight lead for Imamoglu, analysts caution against overreliance on polls in Turkey’s unpredictable political landscape, emphasizing that the election’s outcome remains uncertain.