As a result, she said, “Istanbul’s victory will be considered a Turkish victory.” This is partly due to the economic influence that comes with controlling the city’s budget, and partly because Istanbul has “deep symbolic significance” for President Erdoğan himself. He built his career just 30 years ago with a surprise victory in the mayoral race.
These ties are one reason why President Erdoğan was surprised by the victory of Republican People’s Party candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu in the last mayoral election. Ekrem İmamoğlu is an opposition politician who, to some, has the makings of a superstar in Turkish politics.
In fact, the AKP was so taken aback by Imamoglu’s shock victory in Istanbul in 2019 that it tried to rerun the polls, but lost in a landslide. This remains one of the ruling party’s most ignominious defeats ever.
Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor and leading figure in the opposition, is arguably the main obstacle to Erdoğan’s abrogation of the constitution in order to extend his rule.Yagis Gurtug/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
Five years later, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is poised to deliver the final blow to his younger rival, and with him Turkey’s thorny adversary.
Senior political analyst Soli Ezer said: “If Imammoğlu loses, the secular opposition will not be able to mobilize its forces and will be thrown into complete chaos, unable to counter the strengthening of the current ruling bloc and increasingly Islamic dictatorship. It will disappear,” he said. At Kadir Has University in Istanbul.
Ezer predicted it could take the rebels a decade to recover from defeats in major cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.
