The results of the elections held this week in Turkey presented to some extent a bleak situation for the incumbent President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan , and the conservative camp in the country. After in the previous elections held in 2018, he won 52.59% of the votes already in the first round, compared to his opponent Moharem Ince who won only 30%, in the current elections the battle was closer, with the opposition representative Kamel Kilichderoulou winning 44.89% of the votes.
Click here and receive the Ma'ariv newspaper for a month as a gift for new members>>>
The biggest surprise was registered in the city of Istanbul, which in the elections held in 2018 voted almost entirely for the incumbent president, but this time the picture was reversed, when the one who won in the city was Erdogan's opponent. Turkey's largest city has been the main cause of Erdogan's rise in local politics since he was mayor and then prime minister and president. In the elections held this week, 48.55% of all voters in Istanbul voted for the opposition candidate, while 46.69% voted for Erdogan.
The issue that was at the center of the elections in Turkey was of course the economic issue and the erosion of the local lira, especially after the deadly earthquake that struck the country last February. According to government data, the earthquake damage was estimated at 103 billion dollars, which is 12.5% of the size of the Turkish economy, according to the World Bank. To this, it should be added that the unemployment rate in the country stands at 10%, while among young people it is even higher. Therefore, according to various estimates, this is what caused many young people in Istanbul to turn their backs on Erdogan's "Justice and Development" party.
Kilichderoulou, for his part, promised throughout the campaign that he would increase the rate of economic growth by at least 5% in the next five years, and double the GDP per capita. He also claimed that he would be able to create millions of new jobs and significantly reduce the unemployment rate, which, as mentioned, stands today in Turkey on 10%. Also, the opposition candidate emphasized that he will reduce the deficit by 10% within two years, and free the central bank from Erdogan's grip, work for price stability and adjust the interest rate to the reality of the economy. These goals may have convinced many voters, but he will It is difficult to realize them in view of the crisis in which the local economy is.
© 2026 News In Israel - Israeli News In English. All Rights Reserved.