Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves after giving a statement (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP)Sunday’s local elections were widely seen as a gauge of support for Mr Erdogan as the nation of 81 million faces a daunting economic recession. They were also a first test for Mr Erdogan, who has been accused of increasingly authoritarian tendencies, since he got widely expanded presidential powers last year. Mr Erdogan’s party and its nationalist allies garnered some 52% of the vote overall but the opposition made momentous inroads. Even with 99% of the votes counted, it was still a tight race on Monday to be mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and commercial hub. He argued, however, that a pause in elections until 2023 would benefit Mr Erdogan.

Source: Irish Independent April 01, 2019 16:41 UTC