Big opposition wins in last week’s elections, notable for a huge rise in female representatives, reasserted the country’s liberal, secular values

Turkey is a beautiful and complicated country that never ceases to bewilder not only international observers but also, at times, its own citizens. The results of local elections held last Sunday came as a surprise to many pollsters. The opposition won a spectacular victory , changing the political landscape and shifting the dominant narrative. It would be naive to assume that it signals the end of an era, but it sure feels like a new beginning.

For so long now, the opposition in Turkey has been demoralised, fractured and weak against an unbridled concentration of power and authority. The lack of checks and balances, the lack of freedom of speech, the lack of free media and the lack of the separation of powers – these all stacked the cards against anyone who dared to question the Justice and Development party (AKP) government and its religious-nationalist-populist ideology.

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A surprise set of results has given Turkey’s main opposition party a major boost and enhanced the prospects of democratic renewal

Less than a year ago, Turkey’s main opposition parties were in a slough of despond. Defying their predictions, the country’s authoritarian leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, comfortably won a third term in presidential elections held last spring. At the same time, his Justice and Development party (AKP) emerged more powerful from a parliamentary poll, despite the economy tanking and dissatisfaction at the government’s response to the worst earthquake for decades. Years of clientelism, culture wars and overwhelming media dominance appeared to have rendered Mr Erdoğan’s strongman politics all but unassailable at national level.

Small wonder then, that a spectacular and unanticipated turnaround at Sunday’s local elections prompted wild celebrations into the early hours. In Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, the incumbent mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu , trounced Mr Erdoğan’s candidate. Mr Imamoğlu’s Republican People’s party (CHP) also pulled off a clean sweep of other major cities, winning by a landslide in the capital, Ankara, and easily in Izmir. More suprisingly, the CHP managed to chalk up some victories in the conservative towns and villages that make up Mr Erdoğan’s electoral heartland in Anatolia, and near the Black Sea. Gains in those regions for the Islamic far‑right New Welfare party (YRP), at the AKP’s expense, added to the president’s misery.

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A new cohort of leaders inflicted an unprecedented wave of defeats on President Erdoğan who seemed to have little to offer the electorate

• Ekrem Imamoğlu, the Istanbul mayor emerging as likely challenger to Erdoğan

A fresh-faced challenger hailed a new dawn for Turkish democracy, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan comforted a defeated crowd outside his party’s headquarters, telling them “unfortunately we couldn’t get the result we wanted … everything happens for a reason”.

Supporters of Istanbul’s mayor celebrated long into the night after Ekrem İmamoğlu secured a second term in office, as Turkey’s main opposition party swept to victory in local elections .

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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seeks to dislodge Ekrem İmamoğlu and bring city back under control of Justice and Development party

Voters in Turkey have gone to the polls for local elections as the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, seeks to bring Istanbul back under his party’s control in a showdown with his last major challenger, the incumbent mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu.

“Let Istanbul return to its rightful owners … You need to rescue this ancient city from the oppression of the CHP,” Erdoğan told attenders at one of two pre-election rallies he held in Turkey’s largest city, referring to the opposition Republican People’s party (CHP).

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Ekrem Imamoğlu’s 2019 victory was a big moment for Turkey’s opposition – but five turbulent years as Erdoğan’s enemy have taken their toll

On the banks of Istanbul’s Golden Horn, the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, rallied a crowd for his re-election campaign as banners advertising his opponent flapped in the breeze on a nearby bridge.

“We brought prosperity to Istanbul,” he proclaimed, drawing cautious applause.

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Analysts believe better ties with Greece are key to repairing Turkey’s strained relationship with Europe

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will be arriving in Athens on Thursday for the first time in six years, determined to move on with a “win-win approach” from the disputes and tensions left by his previous trip to the city.

The last time the Turkish leader visited the Greek capital – exactly six years ago to the day – what had been billed a historic tour descended into a verbal theatre of war as Erdoğan, dispensing with diplomatic niceties, went on the offensive.

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While leaders dined out on a half deal with Turkey’s Erdoğan, Volodymr Zelenskiy was left looking like a poor man at a feast

Volodymyr Zelenskiy had to put a brave face on it, after being petulantly accused of ingratitude by British defence secretary Ben Wallace, but last week’s Nato summit was a disappointment for Ukraine’s president and the embattled country he leads. Nato’s repeated failure to offer an unambiguous timetable for Kyiv’s full membership will be seen by the Kremlin as a weak hedging of bets. It will probably be exploited in any future talks to end the war.

To be sure, Ukraine received pledges of long-term support , more weaponry and G7 assistance, and the halfway house of a Ukraine-Nato council. “We’re not going anywhere. You’re stuck with us,” US president Joe Biden joked. But Zelenskiy’s dutiful laughter seemed a little forced. Sincere though he is, Biden cannot be sure of keeping his promise. In 18 months’ time, US policy under a less supportive Republican successor could be very different.

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