FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Turkey's main opposition party has scored sweeping victories in the major cities of Istanbul and Ankara.
The results are a major blow to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had hoped to regain control of the cities less than a year after he claimed a third term as president.
But Ekrem Imamoglu, who won the city for the first time in 2019, scored a second victory for the secular opposition CHP.
Erdogan had promised a new era in Turkey's megacity of almost 16 million people, but Istanbul's current mayor was on track to win more than 50% of the vote, more than 10 points ahead of the AK Party's presidential candidate.
It was also the first time since Erdogan came to power 21 years ago that his party was defeated across the country at the ballot box.
In the capital Ankara, opposition mayor Mansur Yavas was so far ahead of his rival that he declared victory when less than half the votes had been counted. Supporters blocked all major roads in the city, waving flags and honking car horns.
Significantly, the CHP was also on course to win in many of Turkey's other major cities, including Izmir and Bursa, Adana and the resort of Antalya.
President Erdogan, 70, admitted the election had not gone as he had hoped, but he told supporters in Ankara it would mark "not an end for us, but a turning point".
The CHP, which entered the March 31 local elections without an alliance, achieved a historic "victory". The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) finished the race in second place and suffered an electoral defeat for the first time in its 22-year rule.
With this result, the CHP surpassed the success of the Social Democratic Populist Party in the local elections of 1989 in terms of the percentage of votes. Another party that made a surprise in the local elections was Ri-Mireqenia, which entered the local elections for the first time and became the third political party with its vote.
Istanbul's current mayor first used the slogan when he won the city from Mr Erdogan's party five years ago. Some of the banners in Saraçan used his current slogan, "Full speed ahead".
Five years ago, Imamoglu overthrew the ruling AK Party in Istanbul with the support of other opposition parties. But this opposition unity fell apart after losing last year's presidential election, and the AK Party had high hopes of overturning its 2019 victory.
Before Sunday's election, the vote was seen as too close to call, with a strong challenge from AK Party candidate Murat Kurum.
But the ruling party has not been able to shake off an economic crisis that has seen inflation rate at 67% and interest rates at 50%.
While large parts of the west, south and north of Turkey are now under the control of the opposition CHP, the pro-Kurdish Dem party has gained control of much of the southeast.
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