Turkey’s main opposition party declares victory in local elections

Turkey’s main opposition party has declared victory in local elections. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu led the city’s mayoral race by nearly 10 points, with more than half the vote counted. The Republican People’s Party has retained Ankara and gained nine other mayoral seats in big cities nationwide. Analysts say Erdogan and his AK Party fared worse than predicted. This is likely due to soaring inflation, dissatisfied Islamist voters and Imamoglu’s appeal in Istanbul.