​Imamoglu (CHP) sweeps Yildirim (AKP), opening a can of worms for everyone

TURKEY - In Brief 23 Jun 2019 by Atilla Yesilada

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It was over by 7:30 pm Istanbul time. Ekrem Imamoglu beat Binali Yildirim by a 54-45% margin, or a difference of 780K votes, delivering his party its first significant victory in a decade or so. In his acceptance speech Imamoglu sounded humble and conciliatory, promising to work for all citizens of Istanbul regardless of political color, ending waste and corruption, as well as promising cooperation with President Erdogan.Yildirim already conceded defeat, but I’m yet to hear from AKP HQ or the Palace. I don’t think Erdogan would attempt to overturn such an overwhelming victory. Yet, all I can say at this point about the future is that the Turkish democracy survived and AKP lost its armor of invincibility. Imamoglu’s victory opens a can of worms for all sides. CHP and its allies need to demonstrate in his persona that they can manage a huge metropolis efficiently, and without going too far in the corruption investigations and purges of crony employees which is certain to ensue asap. Erdogan must wrestle with the question of whether he shall try to remove Imamoglu by court tricks, obstruct him by the AKP-MHP majority in the City Assembly, or try to cooperate on mutually beneficial transactions. I suspectthat a lot of backbenchers and party heavyweights are contemplating whether to stick with Erdogan orstart flirting with Davutoglu and Babacan camps, which are now almost certain to launch their parties, or challenge Erdogan for a major role in the party. Erdogan also needs to decide whether he is going to ditch his son in law Berat Albayrak and the Pelicanist faction he is associated with, to replace them with capable and more moderate names. These are some of the question...