Ekrem Imamoglu appears to have pulled off a shock win over former premier Binali Yildirim, to end the ruling party's long reign over Turkey's largest city.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP party appeared so sure of winning Istanbul in Sunday's election that posters of its candidate thanking the city were plastered on walls early Monday.
Imamoglu was leading by nearly 28,000 votes with most ballots counted, Supreme Election Board chairman Sadi Guven said on Monday. In contrast, it was Erdogan who dominated scores of large rallies for his loyalist Yildirim in Istanbul, whipping up supporters in televised speeches that filled the airwaves, even though he himself was not running.
In one campaign visit, Imamoglu toured the touristic spice market in the heart of Istanbul but kept his stoic approach when one citizen - apparently an AKP voter - refused to shake his hand. He shares one common trait with Erdogan, a love of football. The Turkish leader was a semi-professional player in his youth. Imamoglu was also an amateur footballer and is still involved with local Trabzonspor team.
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