FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Erdogan is waging another battle with his goal of conquering Istanbul, as the results of the municipal elections will seal his political future, but also Turkey's course in the coming years.
The Turkish leader took the entire election campaign on his back, as it is not only a matter of honor to win back the country's largest municipality from the opposition, but he wants to confirm his hegemonic role in the country's political life and neutralize the strongest potential rival of the current mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.
Hopes that the AKP will once again win Ankara, where the opposition mayor has done important work, and Izmir, which is a CHP stronghold, are slim. Thus, all of Erdogan's weight falls on Istanbul.
For the Turkish president, who has won all electoral battles in the past 22 years except for the 2019 municipal elections, where opposition star Ekrem Imamoglu won Istanbul, the 2024 battle will determine his political moves to achieve his goal of extend his tenure as Turkey's president beyond 2028, when the last term to which he is entitled under the existing Constitution officially ends.
However, Turkish analysts agree that whatever the outcome, dramatic changes in Turkey's foreign policy should not be expected. For the battle of Istanbul, Erdogan chose a lowly partner, former Environment Minister Murat Kurum, who was in the Turkish leader's shadow throughout the pre-election period, sending the message that the choice is between Imamoglu and himself. And that the vote for Istanbul is a vote for the future of Turkey.
The victory in Istanbul for Erdogan is not only of political importance, but there are personal, symbolic and economic reasons that he desperately wants to "conquer" the city.
The Turkish president was born and raised in Istanbul and there he took the first big step in politics by being elected mayor in 1994. So he always treats Istanbul as "my city".
After all, Istanbul is home to almost half of Turkey's total tax base and 1/3 of the total economy. Local construction projects, real estate, urban redevelopment projects, planned anti-seismic projects absorb huge sums and investments, which Erdogan does not want to leave in the hands of the opposition and a potential rival, but wants to give new foci that have been made during his 20-year term.
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