Middle East
17:00, 31-Mar-2019
Turks begin voting in local polls which Erdogan could lose in big cities
Updated
21:14, 31-Mar-2019
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Turks began voting on Sunday in local elections that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as a matter of survival for the country.
Erdogan, sworn in as the first president of Turkey's new executive system in 2018, has dominated Turkish politics for more than 16 years thanks in part to strong economic growth.
However, he could be dealt an electoral blow with polls indicating his ruling AK Party (AKP) may lose control of the capital Ankara, and even Istanbul, the country's largest city.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a pre-election rally at Bayrampasa district in Istanbul, March 30, 2019. /VCG Photo
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a pre-election rally at Bayrampasa district in Istanbul, March 30, 2019. /VCG Photo
Voting started at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) in eastern Turkey and an hour later in the rest of the country. Polling stations close at 4 p.m. in the east and 5 p.m. in the west.
Over 57 million people are eligible to vote and a clear picture of the winners will probably emerge around midnight.
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This week, as authorities again scrambled to shore up the lira, Erdogan cast the country's economic woes as resulting from attacks by the West, saying Turkey would overcome its troubles following Sunday's vote and adding he was “the boss” of the economy.
"The aim behind the increasing attacks toward our country ahead of the elections is to block the road of the big, strong Turkey," Erdogan told one of his six rallies in Istanbul on Saturday.
(With input from Reuters)