ISTANBUL — A vast crowd gathers at Istanbul’s town hall on Thursday to see the inauguration of new mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, whose landslide victory has boosted the opposition for the first time in years.
“Today is a celebration of democracy, a celebration of Istanbul,” he tells a sea of Turkish flags in the city’s historical center.
None of Turkey’s main television channels, seen as cowed by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, carry Imamoglu’s speech.
It is the second time this year that Imamoglu, of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been handed the keys to the city.
His first election victory in March was annulled after controversial claims of rigging by Erdogan and the ruling AKP. But he won a decisive victory in the re-run last Sunday, increasing his margin of victory from just 13,000 in March to more than 800,000 against Erdogan’s chosen candidate, Binali Yildirim.
— AFP
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