With more than 90% of ballot boxes counted, incumbent Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was leading by a wide margin... in Turkey's largest city and economic hub.
The CHP won the municipalities of 36 of Turkey's 81 provinces, making inroads into many strongholds of Erdogan's party. It gained 37% of the votes nationwide... marking the CHP's greatest electoral victory since Erdogan came to power two decades ago.
Erdogan acknowledged the electoral setback, saying his party had suffered 'a loss of altitude'... The people delivered a 'message' that his party will 'analyse' by engaging in 'courageous' self-criticism.
He vowed to press ahead with an economic program introduced last year that aims to combat inflation. The vote was seen as a barometer of Erdogan's popularity... as he sought to win back control of key urban areas he lost to the opposition in elections five years ago.
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