The election board in Istanbul confirmed that Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, was elected mayor in the contest more than two weeks ago. On Tuesday, AKP officials, hauling suitcases they said contained evidence of electoral fraud, formally challenged the election results in Istanbul. Those officials alleged that widespread voting irregularities had tipped the balance in favor of the opposition. The president began his political career as mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and financial hub, in 1994, and has served either as prime minister or president of Turkey since 2002. In Istanbul, a city of 16 million, Imamoglu beat out Erdogan ally and former prime minister Binali Yildirim by just 13,000 votes.

Source: Washington Post April 17, 2019 20:48 UTC