(Bloomberg) -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it's time to leave behind disputes over last month's municipal elections, the clearest sign yet that he might be getting ready to concede defeat in Istanbul.
“We must focus on our main agenda, primarily the economy and security, leaving the election debates behind,” Erdogan said in a series of Twitter posts. “It is the time to shake hands, hug each other and strengthen our unity.”
His comments come just hours after his first brief encounter with Ekrem Imamoglu of the opposition CHP, who assumed office as mayor of the nation's largest city on Wednesday following the March 31 vote.
Erdogan's ruling AKP applied to nullify the vote in Istanbul, citing wide spread irregularities. Turkey's High Election Board which has the power to overturn the election is expected to start deliberating over the objections on Monday, two lawmakers said earlier on Friday.
Instead of getting bogged down with the results, Turkey should focus on making the best out of the next four and a half years it has without any elections, Erdogan said.
Disputed Vote Hangs Over Turkey While Lira Resumes Its Decline
--With assistance from Taylan Bilgic and Firat Kozok.
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, Constantine Courcoulas
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