ISTANBUL, April 1, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Turkey was at a "turning point" Monday, 
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the opposition fighting his two-
decade rule swept municipal elections in Istanbul, the country's emblematic 
megapolis, and other major cities.

Near-final results showed the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) 
wresting the main cities and Anatolian provinces that were strongholds for 
Erdogan's Islamic conservative AKP party.

Top urban centres Istanbul, capital Ankara, Adana, Bursa and Antalya were 
among municipalities to elect CHP mayors Sunday, less than a year after the 
knockback of a failed presidential challenge last May.

Observers called it Erdogan's worst election defeat since his party took 
power in 2002.

Many blamed inflation running at 67 percent and a crashing devaluation of the 
lira currency over the past year.

Pro-government dailies Hurriyet and Yeni Safah on Monday highlighted the 
voters' "message" to incumbents.

The result "can only be explained by the economy," wrote Abdulkadir Selvi, a 
commentator for pro-government daily Hurriyet seen as close to the Erdogan 
camp.

"A new wind has blown" through Turkey and the government now faces "a new 
political equation", he added.

Erdogan himself acknowledged a "turning point" and vowed to "respect the 
decision of the nation".

- 'Revolution at the ballot box' -

Secular nationalist daily Sozcu, which opposes Erdogan, splashed "revolution 
at the ballot box" across its front page, while major opposition paper 
Cumhuriyet hailed a "historic victory".

Victory for the CHP may have been expected in the economic and political 
capitals Istanbul and Ankara, which they claimed in 2019, but observers saw 
the broader anti-Erdogan surge as the strongest in almost 50 years, redrawing 
the electoral map.

Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition's champion since taking the 
mayor's seat in Istanbul five years ago in a hard-fought battle, now looks 
set for a presidential run in 2028.

The vote "marks the end of democratic erosion in Turkey and the resurgence of 
democracy," Imamoglu told supporters overnight, saying his victory had 
"immense significance".

In Ankara, CHP mayor Mansur Yavas also bolstered his standing, topping his 
AKP opponent.

"We're going to see a race between Imamoglu and Yavas" for leadership, 
Hurriyet commentator Selvi wrote.

"Imamoglu is Erdogan's opponent in the country's next national elections," 
Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute posted on X.

The Istanbul mayor "has a chance to become Turkey's president... Turkey never 
fails to surprise - (the) game is on," he added.

Erdogan, who came to power as prime minister in 2003 before becoming 
president in 2014, said in early March that these municipal elections would 
be his last.

The 70-year-old leader told dismayed supporters overnight that they "must not 
waste" the four years remaining before the next presidential vote.