8 May, 2019 13:45

2 former heavyweights of Erdogan’s ruling party slam Istanbul vote re-run

Two former heavyweights of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party have criticized a decision to re-run the Istanbul mayoral election.

The top election body on Monday ordered a replay of the Istanbul mayoral election on June 23. The victory of the main opposition in the election was a blow to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Former PM Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday said the decision to annul the results of the March 31 election, “caused damage to one of our fundamental values,” AFP said. “The biggest loss for political movements is not losing elections but the loss of moral superiority and social conscience,” he tweeted.

Abdullah Gul, former president and co-founder of the AKP said the ruling showed the party had not “made any headway” since past constitutional spats.

You can share this story on social media:

Follow RT on

Dear readers! Thank you for your vibrant engagement with our content and for sharing your points of view. Please note that we are about to switch to a new commenting system. Once that happens, you will need to register again to leave comments. We are working on some adjustments so if you have questions or suggestions feel free to send them to feedback@rttv.ru. Please check our commenting policy. Happy holidays to you all! Question More