Turkey’s opposition celebrates victory over Erdogan’s party in local elections

Supporters of Istanbul Mayor and Republican People’s Party candidate Ekrem Imamoglu celebrate outside the City Hall in Istanbul (Khalil Hamra/AP)

Turkey’s opposition parties have celebrated unexpected success in local elections which saw them outperform President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party and add to municipalities gained five years ago.

The main opposition, the centre-left Republican People’s Party, or CHP, kept hold of Istanbul and the capital Ankara by wide margins but also added wins in conservative provinces such as Adiyaman in the south.