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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkish political party suffered a crushing defeat in local elections on Sunday.
Ekrem İmamoğlu, the incumbent of the main opposition party CHP, led by nearly 10 points in the Istanbul mayoral race after more than half of the votes were counted. Reuters It was reported early Monday morning. The CHP also retained its Ankara mayoral seat and won 15 more seats in cities across the country.
President Erdoğan acknowledged the defeat of the AK Party. AFP report.
The opposition’s victory is a blow to Erdogan, who has held power as Turkey’s prime minister or president since 2003. Although Turkey is a NATO member, Erdogan is also a close partner of Russian President Vladimir Putin, so Erdogan’s party could be defeated. Change the relationship between the two countries.
What does Erdoğan’s defeat mean for Putin and Russia?
If Erdogan’s AK Party had won a landslide victory, it would have been used in Ankara to “legitimize closer ties with Russia in the eyes of the Turkish public,” said Marc Pirieni, a think tank researcher. Francesco Sicardi said. carnegie europe, I wrote it last week.
“For Turkey’s Western powers, this affinity is a cause for concern,” they added.
But opposition victories in most of Turkey’s biggest cities would “undermine President Erdogan’s prestige at home,” they wrote.
Carnegie analysts did not say what changes this could bring to Turkey’s international relations, but the Turkish government’s position after the local elections could change its relations with the West and Russia. He said it was possible.
He added: “The extent to which President Erdogan is able to exercise personal power domestically will be a key factor in determining Turkey’s international actions.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Turkey has positioned itself as an intermediary between the West and Moscow, brokering grain export deals between Russia and Ukraine and offering host countries. peace negotiations between the two sides.
At the same time, Erdoğan’s government is holding talks with Moscow. Turkish gas hub As Europe withdraws from importing natural gas from Russia.
Indeed, Sunday’s election was a local election. President Erdogan has already won the presidential election in May and secured another five-year term. The defeat of the AK Party in Sunday’s local elections signals a change in the country, but Political change does not mean Turkey will give up Relations with Russia, especially since the Turkish economy has fallen into a long-standing crisis.
Economic crisis continues in Türkiye
Erdogan’s government has been battling runaway inflation for years, and the central bank has been relentless in raising interest rates. The Turkish lira has also lost 40% of its value against the US dollar in the past 12 months.
Inflation got very bad – it was 67% in February — The central bank raised interest rates. 50% On March 21st, it surprised the market.
“The economy was the deciding factor,” said Hakan Akbas, a senior adviser at advisory firm Albright Stonebridge Group. Reuters on sunday. “The Turkish people are demanding change, and Imamoglu is now Erdogan’s default nemesis.”
According to reports, President Erdogan vowed to “respect the state’s decisions” in a speech at the AK Party headquarters on Sunday. AFP. “We will be stubborn and avoid going against the will of the state and questioning the power of the state,” he added.