Binali Yildirim, the AKP candidate for the Istanbul Mayoral re-election, conceded defeat before the declaration of elections results Sunday.

More than 99 percent of the votes have been counted and the results give a big lead for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu gained 54 percent of the votes while Yildirim gained 45 percent of votes.

In the initial March 31 vote, Ekrem İmamoğlu secured a narrow victory over the candidate of President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey’s largest city, after more than two decades of the ruling party controlling the city.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly declared that “whoever wins Istanbul wi ns Turkey.” Istanbul, the country's biggest city, is key for the president because there it was where his political career started by being the mayor of Istanbul between 1994 -1998. Losing Istanbul for the ruling party, which has been in power since 2001, would have a significant impact on the AKP's standing in the country's political sphere.

In March, İmamoğlu secured 48.8 percent of the vote to Yildirim's 48.55 percent. On May 6, Supreme Electoral Board (YSK) decided to cancel and renew the vote. The decision came after the president's party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), filed a complaint to the top election board requesting a re-run on the grounds that some officials supervising the elections were not civil servants as required by law. Since then, most of Turkey’s opposition parties dropped out of the mayoral race to pool votes for İmamoğlu. </s> ISTANBUL (AP) — The Latest on disputed mayoral elections in Turkey (all times local):

Turkey's state-run news agency says the country's highest electoral body has ruled for a rerun of the Istanbul mayoral election after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party challenged the legitimacy of the vote an opposition candidate narrowly won.

Anadolu Agency said the Supreme Electoral Board on Monday ruled in favor of Erdogan's conservative and Islamic-based party and annulled the results of the March 31 local election in Istanbul. It was not immediately clear when the election would be repeated.

In a major setback to Erdogan's 16-year rule, the opposition took control of local governments in the capital of Ankara and Istanbul, ending the ruling party's decades-long control of both cities.

Erdogan's party challenged the results in Istanbul, maintaining that alleged irregularities had affected the outcome.

Turkey's highest electoral board is meeting to decide whether an opposition politician is the rightful winner of Istanbul's mayoral race — or whether a new election must be held.

Ekrem Imamoglu narrowly won the race for mayor of Istanbul in Turkey's March 31 local elections, defeating ruling party candidate Binali Yildirim, a former prime minister.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party is however, challenging the result, citing alleged irregularities that it insists impacted the result of the vote. It wants the election in the city to be repeated.

The Supreme Electoral Board began its deliberations on Monday. A decision could come later or in the next few days. </s> The ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) candidate in the controversial rerun of Istanbul's mayoral election has conceded defeat after initial results showed the opposition leading the vote.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said on Sunday that the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu was leading with 53.69 percent of the vote, compared with AK Party's Binali Yildirim's 45.4 percent, with more than 95 percent of ballots counted.

"According to the result as of now, my competitor Ekrem Imamoglu is leading the race. I congratulate him and wish him good luck," Yildirim said.

CHP's projected win in the Istanbul election ends the 17 year rule by the AK Party in Turkey's largest city and commercial hub.

The Istanbul mayoral election was first held on March 31, when Imamoglu secured 48.8 percent of the vote, while the AK Party's Yildirim held 48.55 percent, granting Imamoglu the title of mayor with a razor-thin margin.

The AK Party proceeded to file an 'extraordinary objection' to the results, leading the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to annul the results and schedule Sunday's rerun.

The Istanbul election has become far bigger than any local vote, as the rerun put into question the country's democracy and threatened the AK Party's stronghold on power over the last two decades.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - who served as Istanbul's mayor in the 1990s - has famously said: "whoever loses Istanbul loses Turkey.

Erdogan cast his vote on Sunday amid high security in Uskudar, a predominately conservative district on the city's Asian side.

Bilkent University Assistant Professor of International Relations, Berk Esen, described it as being a "major personal blow for Erdogan.

"It has marked the beginning of the end for the Turkish style presidency and become difficult for the AKP machine to sustain itself without the corrupt use of Istanbul resources," he said.

After AK Party mayoral candidate Yildirim cast his vote today he addressed a gathered crowd with a statement seemingly pointing to the pressure felt by his party.

"If we ever made any wrongdoing to any rival or brother in Istanbul, I would like to ask for their forgiveness and blessing," Yildirim expressed.

Voting in Beylikduzu in west Istanbul, CHP's Imamoglu said Istanbul will vote with the rule of law, justice and democracy at the forefront of their minds.

"In the name of our democracy, in the name of Istanbul and in the name of legitimacy of all future elections of our country, today my people will make the most accurate decision," Imamoglu said.

To ensure no "illegal wrongdoings" were made in Istanbul's mayoral rerun, various independent mechanisms have been erected in order to monitor the voting and counting process.

For example, at the call of CHP, lawyers from across Turkey volunteered their time to travel to Istanbul in order to counter election fraud.

One lawyer was appointed to each voting booth erected in nearly 2,000 polling stations across the city.

Esen told Al Jazeera this is a very important for Turkish politics, as the vote counting process has not been very accurate and fair in previous elections.

"It's important for the opposition party to organise and mobilise supporters not only to come out and vote but also observe the counting process to make sure no votes will be stolen," Esen said.

"Lawyers … would be able to make sure that the ruling party will not be able to cancel the result on a mere technicality."

Since the state-run Anadolu Agency became the outlet to distribute live election results to the media in 2014, the voluntary Vote and Beyond (Oy ve Otesi) organisation has been trying to ensure "transparent and accountable elections."

After controversy surrounded Anadolu Agency's release of data in the March 31 election, in which is ceased broadcasting at 11pm when Imamoglu came into the lead, Vote and Beyond launched a new mobile application to post live updates.

The data is sourced from volunteers at each polling station recording "minutes" of the counts.

A group of citizen journalists who founded the group Dokuz8, also in 2014, have also released live updates of the vote counting. </s> Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed an order to re-run the recent Istanbul election, a move the opposition has branded an attack on democracy.

His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost the mayorship of Turkey's biggest city by a narrow margin and has refused to accept defeat.

"We sincerely believe there was organised corruption and irregularities," Erdogan told party members in parliament on Tuesday, saying the re-run was the "best step" for the country.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has condemned Monday's decision by the top election body to re-run the vote as "neither democratic nor legitimate".

Its candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been stripped of the mayorship after winning the March 31 election, was meeting coalition partners on Tuesday to discuss their strategy.

The loss of Istanbul, the country's economic hub, had been a shocking defeat for Erdogan's ruling party.

The AKP and its predecessors have ruled the city for 25 years, and it was especially sensitive for Erdogan, who grew up in the metropolis and rose to power after himself serving as Istanbul mayor.

Imamoglu, a softly-spoken former district mayor, gave a rousing speech to thousands of supporters in Istanbul late Monday, vowing they would emerge even stronger after the re-run on June 23.

"Maybe you are upset but never lose your hope," he said, while thousands more took to the streets of the chic Kadikoy district to protest against the election board.

"This is the collapse of the declining democracy in Turkey. The coming process is condemned to be even worse," said 60-year-old shopkeeper Ali Yamac in central Istanbul.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday that the decision to annul the election was "not transparent and incomprehensible to us".

The European Union has called for the election body to produce its reasons "without delay".

"Ensuring a free, fair and transparent election process is essential to any democracy and is at the heart of the European Union's relations with Turkey," EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Monday.

The loss of the mayorship in Istanbul, and a more resounding defeat in the capital Ankara, was a rare setback for Erdogan and his party, reflecting widespread concerns over the deteriorating economy.

The AKP still won the most seats nationwide, but has been damaged by Turkey's first recession in a decade, as well as record-high inflation and a currency that has lost more than 12 percent of its value against the dollar this year alone.

Erdogan's critics say he has eroded rights by cracking down on dissent at home but for his supporters he maintains the image of a strong leader who speaks up for Turkey in the international arena.

The defeated mayoral candidate, former prime minister Binali Yildirim, a close Erdogan ally, said he hoped the re-run would "be beneficial for our city".

The US-based think tank the Soufan Center said the YSK decision marked "serious concerns" for the future of democracy in Turkey.

"Given restrictions on freedom of speech and Turkey's increasingly less independent judiciary, the recent election meddling is a clear signal to the Turkish people, and the world, that Erdogan is willing to pursue absolute power at any cost." </s> ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will again be the ruling AK Party’s candidate in next month’s re-run of the Istanbul mayoral election, President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Tuesday.

Yildirim narrowly lost the March 31 Istanbul election to the main opposition candidate, but the High Election Board ruled on Monday to annul the vote over various irregularities and called a fresh contest for June 23. </s> In Rerun Of Istanbul's Mayoral Election, Opposition Candidate Wins Again

After results of the March election were annulled, in which the opposition party won, residents voted again on Sunday in what is widely being seen as a referendum on Turkey's president. </s> Ekrem Imamoglu waves to his supporters following his victory in Istanbul.

Ekrem Imamoglu waves to his supporters following his victory in Istanbul.

TURKEY’S PRESIDENT RECEP Tayyip Erdogan suffered a bruising defeat yesterday as the opposition candidate in Istanbul’s controversial mayoral election won a significant victory.

Ekrem Imamoglu had won the first mayoral vote in March by a slim margin of 13,000 votes over Erdogan’s chosen candidate, Binali Yildirim.

Yildirim had contested that result and a new election was ordered.

With some 99 percent of ballots counted by Sunday night, Imamoglu was winning by more than 775,000 votes – 54 percent, with Yildirim on 45 percent, according to Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu.

“It was not a single group or party, but the whole of Istanbul and Turkey that won this election,” Imamoglu said in his victory speech.

“Mr President, I am ready to work in harmony with you. I convey from here my request to meet with you in the shortest time possible,” he added.

Critics had accused Erdogan of refusing to give up control of Istanbul, Turkey’s economic powerhouse and a crucial source of patronage for Islamic conservatives since he won the mayorship himself a quarter of a century ago.

The Turkish leader conceded defeat this time, writing on Twitter: “I congratulate Ekrem Imamoglu who has won the election based on preliminary results.”

Imamoglu, a little-known district mayor at the start of the year, ran a positive campaign under the slogan: “Everything will be fine.”

The defeat is a significant one for Erdogan’s ruling AKP party, which has been in power in Turkey since 2002 and remains the most popular political force nationwide.

“It’s a colossal defeat for Yildirim but also Erdogan. His gamble (in calling for a replay of the election) backfired,” said Berk Esen, an assistant professor of international relations at Ankara’s Bilkent University.

It comes as an economic slump and rising prices have dented the president’s reputation for economic stewardship, with the AKP also losing the capital Ankara in March.

“The AKP elites will probably try to de-emphasise the election and act like it’s no big deal,” said Esen.

Erdogan has already played down the importance of the re-run, saying last week that the choice of mayor was “only a change in the shop window” since the AKP controls almost two-thirds of the city’s districts.

For many conservatives, Erdogan remains a hero who has brought prosperity and fiercely defended the country’s interests since taking over in 2003. </s> The decision by Turkish authorities to wipe away a stinging defeat for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and rerun the election for mayor of Istanbul left the opposition angered but determined on Tuesday to win the race a second time.

Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition candidate who narrowly won the March 31 election, only to have that victory annulled on Monday, announced on Tuesday that he would run again, and rallied his supporters by retweeting a message from his party’s Twitter account that said, “We will win again.”

The move by Mr. Erdogan to overturn the election results quickly reverberated through Turkey and beyond. Sporadic protests broke out Monday evening after the announcement, and the lira, a barometer of the way foreign investors regard the country, declined sharply on Tuesday — down 5 percent from earlier in the week.

The decision by the High Electoral Council, which cited irregularities in how officials were chosen to oversee voting at some polling stations, left the opposition with the difficult decision of whether to take part in a new election that it considers illegitimate. </s> Ekrem İmamoğlu, mayoral candidate of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was leading with 54% of votes versus 45% for ruling AK Party (AKP) candidate, with more than 99% of ballots opened.

The election was Istanbul’s second in three months after results of an initial March vote were scrapped.

In his victory speech in Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district, İmamoğlu thanked Istanbul’s citizens.

"We are starting a new page in Istanbul. On this new page, there will be justice, equality, love; while misspending (of public funds), pomp, arrogance and the alienation of the other will end. Today 16 million Istanbulites have refreshed our belief in democracy," İmamoğlu told supporters.

"I thank them all from my heart. You have shown the world that Turkey still protects its democracy. And we have shown other countries who try to go down the road we were choosing that it is no road at all."
The re-run Istanbul mayoral election concludes with a victory for opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu and defeat for the ruling AK Party.