Erdogan Says Istanbul Vote May Be Nullified on Alleged Fraud

(Bloomberg) -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month's mayor election in Istanbul may be nullified over alleged fraud, Hurriyet newspaper reported Wednesday, after a partial recount didn't reverse a bruising loss for his ruling party's candidate.

The governing AK Party has detected “irregularities that are marring the vote,” Hurriyet cited Erdogan as telling reporters on his way to Turkey from Russia late Monday. “If there is a sincere approach, this could lead to a cancellation.”

Erdogan's push for a rerun of the March 31 race and refusal to concede defeat in the city where he built his political career is his latest assault on the democratic foundations he's chipped away at during his decade and a half in power. The latest tally shows Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition CHP's candidate for Istanbul mayor, is leading by about 14,000 votes.

Erdogan's Party Says It Will Seek Rerun of Vote in Istanbul

Turkey's High Election Board already rejected a request this week by the AK Party for a full recount of votes in the country's largest city. The board is due to decide as early as Wednesday on a separate AK Party request to repeat the mayor elections in Istanbul and one of its suburbs, Buyukcekmece, over alleged voting irregularities.

The election board's decision “will either lead Turkey to daylight or drag it into chaos,” CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said on Wednesday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Mark Williams

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.