Erdoğan’s Istanbul election gamble
Annulling mayoral election threatens to undermine his legitimacy as Turkey’s leader.
By ZIA WEISE 5/7/19, 6:33 PM CET
If, as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is fond of saying, "whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey," then his country's future now hangs in the balance.
On Monday, Turkey's Supreme Electoral Board (YSK) announced that March's Istanbul mayoral election, which ended in a narrow opposition victory, would be annulled and re-run in June. The decision, after weeks of government pressure, is a watershed moment for Turkey — and a monumental gamble for Erdoğan.
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