CHP wins in stronghold İzmir, loses four districts

ISTANBUL

The CHP’s votes decreased in the city by around 5 percent compared to the 2009 local elections. DHA Photo

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has managed to regain its stronghold in the municipality of İzmir in the March 30 elections, bringing defeat to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate Binali Yıldırım.

“Our goal will be to complete our projects for the new era. We will work for the vivid İzmir city, which is worth living,” said Aziz Kocaoğlu, who has been elected İzmir Mayor for the third time from the CHP, said shortly after the results.

The CHP took 49.9 percent of the votes in the city as the AKP received 35.6 percent of the votes in the local elections. The city was a primary goal for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who nominated a significant name form his cabinet as candidate for İzmir’s municipal post. Former Transportation Minister Yıldırım was seen as the ruling party’s best chance to get the city, where the locals widely complained of the unfinished and long standing transportation projects, such as a metro construction in the city.

The CHP’s votes decreased in the city by around 5 percent compared to the 2009 local elections. In the 2009 local elections, Kocaoğlu had received 54.99 percent of votes against rival Taha Aksoy from the AKP, who received 31.1 percent of the votes.

The CHP İzmir deputy Alaattin Yüksel, however, said the party increased its votes by comparing its current votes with the 2011 general elections.  

“The borders of the greater municipality were different in 2009. There were towns and villages that were not voting for the İzmir mayoral candidate. We cannot compare it with the 2009 elections because the conditions have changed,” said Yüksel, adding that the AKP has changed the greater municipality law to attempt to get İzmir, but failed to achieve its goal. “The AKP received 37 percent of votes in the 2011 general elections. Now it garnered 35 percent. We had received 43 percent of the votes in 2011 general elections and increased it to 51 percent in these elections,” Yüksel said.

Although the main opposition party secured its presence in the İzmir Greater Municipality, it had some surprising results in four districts.

The party lost the mayoral posts in four of İzmir’s districts, Aliağa, Kınık, Torbalı and Menderes. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) candidate Serkan Acar became mayor in the Aliağa district with 34 percent of the votes.

The AKP’s candidate Sadık Doğruer won the Kınık district with 39.2 percent of the votes. The AKP won the polls in the Torbalı district with 34.8 percent of the votes, with its candidate Adnan Yaşar Görmez becoming the new mayor in the district.

Bülent Soylu, another AKP candidate, has become mayor of Menderes by receiving 41.4 percent of the votes.