Istanbul poll: Election body announces official result

ANKARA

Some weeks after Ekrem Imamoglu was declared Istanbul’s new mayor, Turkish election authorities on Thursday announced the detailed result of the election rerun in Turkey’s most populous city.

According to the Supreme Election Council (YSK) decision published in the Official Gazette, some 8.9 million Istanbulites, out of 10.5 million, cast ballots in the June 23 rerun poll.

Imamoglu, candidate for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), won the race with 4.7 million votes, while Binali Yildirim of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party got 3.9 million.

This translated to 54.2% of the vote for Imamoglu and 45% for Yildirim.

The Istanbul mayoral poll was initially held on March 31, when Imamoglu got 48.8% of the vote and Yildirim got 48.55%, according to official YSK figures.

But the March poll was annulled after the AK Party appealed the result, citing irregularities and violations of the law.

The Official Gazette also announced the results of other rerun elections on June 2 in places such as Adiyaman, Artvin, Denizli, and Kirikkale.

*Writing by Sena Guler