Erdogan`s opposition wins in local elections in Turkey

In regional elections in Turkey, the main opposition party claimed big wins in the major cities of Istanbul and Ankara.

Leaders of opposition parties have claimed victory by defeating AK party, the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power for two decades.

With more than 95 percent percent of ballot boxes opened in Istanbul on Sunday, Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) said he had defeated Erdogan’s ruling AK Party candidate by more than 1 million votes, reports Aljazeera.

“Those who do not understand the nation’s message will eventually lose,” Imamoglu, a former businessman, told thousands of supporters late on Sunday.

“Tonight, 16 million Istanbul citizens sent a message to both our rivals and the president.”

In the capital Ankara, CHP’s Mayor Mansur Yavas claimed victory over his rival, hailing the result as a “clear message to those who rule this country”.

The CHP was also ahead in Izmir, Turkey’s third city.

In total, CHP prevailed in 36 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, state-run Anadolu reported, making inroads into many AK Party strongholds._Agencies.