ISTANBUL (AP) — Polls have opened in a repeat election in Turkey’s largest city where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his political allies could lose control of Istanbul’s administration for the first time in 25 years.
Opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu narrowly inflicted a shock defeat on a pro-government candidate in March 31 local government elections and briefly served as mayor for nearly three weeks. But the election was canceled following government complaints of procedural irregularities and a spat between the two sides over recounts.
In a hard-fought campaign, Imamoglu focused on urban poverty after the country slid into recession at the end of 2018.
Polls close at 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) with preliminary results expected later Sunday.