President Erdogan has confessed that his AK Party may have lost Turkey’s elections in Istanbul (Image: GETTY)
However, he added they still remained “the number one party in Turkey”. He said: “In Istanbul, the majority of the districts are either ours or head-to-head. What does this mean? Even if our people gave away the mayorship, they gave the districts to the AK Party.”
Erdogan also said his party would appeal results wherever needed, and added that he would take the necessary measures at ministries and institutions to make the system of governance more dynamic.
Turkey’s main opposition candidate for mayoral elections in Istanbul said it was “very clear” that his party had won the vote in Istanbul, the country’s biggest city.
Republican People’s party (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu told reporters in Istanbul: “I know we won in Istanbul, it is very clear."
The party had previously defeated Erdogan’s AK Party in the city’s capital, Ankara, for the first time since Erdogan came to power 16 years
