Last May, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey handily secured another term as head of state, shattering the morale of the political opposition and raising fears among his critics that his hold on the government would enable him to further edge Turkey toward autocracy.
This weekend, the opposition struck back.
Mr. Erdogan’s opponents secured a surprising string of victories in local elections across Turkey on Sunday, increasing the share of the country’s cities under their control and further ensconcing them in most of the major metropolises.
Those opposition victories could serve as a check on Mr. Erdogan’s power at home, analysts said, while enabling rising opposition stars to wield the large budgets of major cities to build their profiles before the next presidential election, expected in 2028.
The results were a blow to Mr. Erdogan, 70, who has been Turkey’s predominant politician for more than two decades.
Persons:
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan’s, Erdogan
Organizations:
NATO
Locations:
Turkey, United States