Turkey’s Erdogan sees ‘organized crime’ in Istanbul vote results

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says some “organized crime” was carried out during last week’s election for Istanbul mayor when results showed his ruling AKP candidate narrowly lost the race.

The AKP demanded a recount in Ankara and Istanbul citing irregularities after tallies showed the party was defeated in both cities in what would be a major setback in a decade and a half in power.

Erdogan’s remarks appear to signal more AKP challenges over Istanbul, the country’s economic hub and largest city, echoing commentary in pro-government media last week denouncing a “ballot box putsch” during the March 31 election.

“We are seeing that some organized crimes have been carried out,” Erdogan says at a press conference before a trip to Russia, without giving details. “There is an element of robbery in all of this. There was some theft at the ballot box.”

— AFP