Speaking to his supporters after a night of historic wins for his opposition Republican People’s party, the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, was quick to meet the moment, calling it “the dawn of a new era”.
“We are taking the first step towards a Turkey where democracy, freedom, equality, rationality, science, love, and solidarity flourish,” he told the ecstatic crowd, buoyed by a night of unexpected results in which the CHP swept municipalities nationwide, its best result since 1977.
