AKP demand­ed recoun­t in Ankara and Istanb­ul citing irregu­lariti­esISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday cast doubt on results showing his ruling party’s candidate narrowly lost the election for Istanbul mayor, saying there had been “theft at the ballot box”. “No one has the right to declare themselves victorious with a difference of around 13,000-14,000 votes,” Erdogan said of the Istanbul results. In the capital Ankara, the Supreme Electoral Council on Monday officially handed opposition CHP party candidate Mansur Yavas his mandate. AKP’s candidate for Istanbul former premier Binali Yildirim and opposition CHP’s Ekrem Imamoglu both declared victory soon after the Istanbul race when initial results showed a dead heat. Imamoglu, a former mayor of one of the city’s local districts, has already declared himself Istanbul mayor and called on the AKP to accept the result.

Source: The Express Tribune April 08, 2019 13:41 UTC