Turkish ruling party expects to win Istanbul mayoral race after recount
The gap between the two candidates has dropped to 18,742 as the recount of votes in 17 of 39 districts of Istanbul is completed.
The ruling party mayoral candidate for Istanbul, Binali Yıldırım, said on Friday he expected to win the local polls when the recount of votes in all districts would be completed, Turkish news website Diken reported.
“The gap has fallen to some 18,000 votes. There are a lot of ballots to be counted still. We believe the things will change when the counting is fully completed,” Yıldırım told reporters.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) demanded a recount after the party lost the mayoral race in Turkey’s major economic hub, Istanbul, to the opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoğlu with nearly 28,000 votes, according to unofficial results. The gap between the two candidates has dropped to 18,742 as the recount of votes in 17 of 39 districts of Istanbul is completed.
Main opposition lawmaker Barış Yarkadaş on Friday announced on Twitter that the gap between Yıldırım and Imamoğlu has risen to 19.531 as the recount continues according to data released by the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK).
Source: Ahval
