As 98.98 percent of the votes have been counted (11.30 am), it is time to look at some of the influential municipalities that the main parties were fighting over most.
The race for the two most influential cities, Turkey’s capital Ankara, and its largest city, Istanbul, has been more dramatic than perhaps anticipated.
AKP stays in Istanbul
In Istanbul, the candidate for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, managed to raise the percentage of votes for his party to 36.88 percent, an increase by 7.96 percent compared to the local elections of 2004. Current mayor Kadir Topbaş of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has managed to hold on to his position with 44.33 percent of the vote, which represents nearly a 1 percent drop from five years ago.
Dramatic loss in points in Ankara
In Ankara, all the votes have been counted, and current mayor Melih Gökçek (AKP) remains in his seat. However, compared to 2004, he has lost a lot of support. He received 38.47 percent of the vote, which is 16.58 percent less than in 2004. Murat Karayalçın from the CHP, on the other hand, gained 12.63 percent on the results of 2004, with 31.50 percent in yesterday’s elections. The National Movement Party (MHP) also benefited from the AKP’s loss, jumping from 4.57 percent in 2004 to 26.90 percent yesterday.
Diyarbakır and Tunceli: DTP again
Several other cities are of high symbolic value for the main parties. PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had told his party, the AKP, that he “wanted” Diyarbakır and Tunceli (both highly symbolic “fortresses” of the Kurdish vote) and İzmir, which is a stronghold of the CHP.
In Diyarbakır, current mayor Osman Baydemir of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) has managed to increase the percentage of votes from last time, receiving 65.43 percent yesterday, compared to 58.30 percent in 2004. The candidate for the AKP, Kutbettin Arzu, netted 31.57 percent, which is a 3.72 loss compared to 2004.
Particularly in Diyarbakır, the vote seems to indicate that many Kurds do not find the government’s stance on the Kurdish question sincere.
In Tunceli, the DTP also won, but the candidate, Edibe Şahin, has netted 5.78 percent less than in 2004, receiving 30.00 percent of the votes yesterday. The AKP has gained dramatically, from 7.75 percent in 2004 to 21.63 percent yesterday. There was considerable controversy in Tunceli in the pre-election period, with the AKP being accused of handing out fridges and other white goods as pre-election bribes.
Izmir decidedly CHP
The Prime Minister had spoken about “Gavur” Izmir, that is the “heathen” (non-Muslim) Izmir, a derogatory reference to the Greek past and current laicist majority of the city. His aim was to take over this stronghold, but the CHP managed to increase its past result by 6.28 percent, receiving 53.45 percent of the vote. The AKP received nearly the same percentage as in 2004, with 32.18 percent yesterday.
Trabzon and Antalya change parties
The Black Sea province capital Trabzon saw a close race in 2004, when the CHP won by 0.5 percent. This year, the AKP has taken over, managing to get 47.79 percent compared to the CHP’s 40.96 percent.
As if in return, the CHP has managed to regain the southern province capital of Antalya, the constituency of its party leader Deniz Baykal, which it had acceeded to the AKP in 2004. With an increase of 14.62 percent compared to 2004, the CHP managed to get 40.72 percent yesterday, while the AKP’s vote rose by 0.66 percent to 35.06 percent yesterday.
DSP dramatically increases votes in Ordu
The AKP had also attempted to woo voters in the Black Sea province capital of Ordu, but the Democratic Left Party (DSP) has received 52.74 percent of the votes, which represents a 14.03 percent increase from 2004, while the AKP has received 39.36 percent, which is 8.39 percent more than in 2004.
Erdoğan disappointed
These "local" elections have hardly been concerned with local issues, but have rather been perceived as a kind of referendum on all kinds of issues, such as the Kurdish question, the Ergenekon trial and the economic crisis.
Speaking at a press briefing late last night, Erdoğan expressed his disappointment at not winning in the provinces of Van and Siirt in the east of Turkey, both “taken” by the DTP. He also claimed that his party’s municipal administration in Antalya had provided many services and could not understand why they did not win. (EÖ/BÇ/AG)