PREVIEW

Erdogan's Controlling AK Party Dealt Major Blow in Local Elections. On March 31, Turkey's local election saw the controlling Justice and Development (AK) Party register its biggest lost to the nation's main opposition party. CNN reports that the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) claimed victories in a number of key cities, including Ankara and Istanbul. The election for city mayors, district mayors and other local level officials saw President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party lose the popular vote for the first time since 2002. The losses come nearly one year after Erdogan narrowly won re-election in May, securing a close runoff vote victory over opposition leader Kemal Killicdaroglu. According to Turkey's High Electoral Council, preliminary results showed the CHP wining 35 out of 81 municipalities, which includes 14 out of 30 of the country's urban areas. State broadcaster TRT said Erdogan's main political rival in the CHP, Ekrem Imamoglu, was reelected as the mayor of Istanbul, earning 51.1% of the vote. "The period of one-man rule is over today." "As we celebrate our victory, we send a resounding message to the world: the decline of democracy ends now. Istanbul stands as a beacon of hope, a testament to the resilience of democratic values in the face of rising authoritarianism.", Ekrem Imamoglu, CHP Mayor of Istanbul, via CNN. Other major CHP victories were scored in Ankara, where incumbent mayor Mansur Yavas won 60.4% of the vote, and in Izmir, where Cemil Tugay secured 48.9% of the vote. CNN reports that the most recent elections came amid an economic downturn that has persisted despite Erdogan's adoption of more mainstream economic policies. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT