ISTANBUL/ANKARA: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP party appeared yesterday to be heading for a clear victory in local polls that have become a referendum on a prime minister facing corruption scandals and security leaks he blames on “traitors” embedded in state bodies.
With about half of votes counted, results cited on Turkish television put his Islamist-rooted AK Party ahead with 44-46 percent, the main opposition CHP on 23-28 percent. If that result was borne out, Erdogan might claim at least for now to have ridden out the biggest challenges to his 12-year rule. Erdogan said the election results would reaffirm his legitimacy after a turbulent election campaign. Reuters
