In setback to Turkey’s Erdogan, opposition makes huge gains in local election

By SUZAN FRASER and CINAR KIPER
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s main opposition party has retained its control over key cities and made huge gains in local elections. Preliminary results reported by state media Sunday showed the opposition mayors of Istanbul and Ankara retaining their seats. Their party was leading in 36 provinces. The vote was seen as a barometer of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s popularity as he sought to win back control of the key urban areas he lost to the opposition five years ago, amid a deep economic downturn and high inflation. The strong showing is likely to help invigorate the opposition after a scathing defeat in last year’s presidential and parliamentary elections.