Erdogan says Istanbul vote may be canceled over irregularities

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said alleged irregularities in last month’s mayoral election in Istanbul may lead to a "cancellation” of the vote, Hurriyet newspaper reported Wednesday.

The governing AK Party has detected "irregularities that are staining the vote,” Hurriyet newspaper 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 has been pushing for a rerun of the March 31 vote, fueling concerns that the country’s democracy is fraying as he refuses to concede defeat in the city where he built his political career. The latest tally shows Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition’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 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 elections in Istanbul as well as one of its districts, Buyukcekmece, over alleged voting irregularities.