The party of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been defeated in local elections in the capital Ankara, and was trailing in a close contest for mayor in Istanbul, the country’s largest city, unofficial figures showed Monday. The election results do not impact Turkey’s national government, but were being widely discussed as the first major blow to Erdogan in his well over 15 years in power. While Erdogan remains Turkey’s most popular leader by far, the municipal election results provide the most recent assessment of his standing with voters. AdvertisingThe elections took place at a time Turkey is officially in a recession after close to two decades of growth. Personally, Erdogan does not face a national election until 2023, and under the new system brought in by the 2017 referendum, he can stay in office up to 2032.

Source: Indian Express April 01, 2019 16:52 UTC