The recent municipal elections in Turkey marked a historic moment: for the first time, the opposition beat the ruling party in most regions. This election stands out for its significance, as the election of some 1400 mayors and 22000 deputies throughout the country was at stake. With approximately 38% of the votes counted, the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP), led by Özgür Özel, who took office as party leader in November 2023, was in the lead with 38,82%.

The ruling Justice and Development Party, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is behind with 37,28% of the votes. Also, the Peoples' Democratic Party received noticeable support in the Kurdish regions, gaining 5,62%.

The results are especially noteworthy in Turkey's largest cities, such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa and Adana, where the Republican People's Party occupies a leading position. In Istanbul, the current opposition CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who won the elections in 2019, is again in the lead with 49,5% of the vote, despite previously receiving a 2-year and 7-month prison sentence for insulting Turkey's Supreme Electoral Council.

In Ankara, the situation for the opposition looks even more convincing: the current mayor from the CHP, Mansur Yavaş, gains 64,48% of the vote, which is twice as much as his opponent from the ruling party, Turgut Altinok.