Election in Istanbul: who's set to win?
The election in Istanbul will be repeated on June 23. CHP candidate İmamoğlu is once again in the lead in polls. He had already beat his rival in the regular vote on March 31 but when the governing AKP party complained of "organised irregularities" in voting procedures the electoral commission ordered a new vote. Commentators focus on the AKP's candidate and tactics.
AKP changing its tactics
Hürriyet Daily News explains why it believes AKP leader Erdoğan no longer appears in public:
“One of the reasons for this change is the assessment at the AKP that the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, takes the advantage in turning the Istanbul polls into an election between him and Erdoğan. Therefore, by pulling Erdoğan out of the scene, AKP officials believe that İmamoğlu will have difficulties in consolidating his votes. Another reason why the AKP has resorted to this way may be because of the not so promising results of the public opinion surveys on the Istanbul polls. As they suggest that İmamoğlu is still ahead of Yıldırım, saving Erdoğan from a potential loss is what the AKP eyes.”
Wisdom running against ambition
For the pro-government daily Sabah the AKP candidate is better suited as a leader:
“When one considers Binali Yıldırım one sees calm, inclusiveness, an ability to realize big projects and finish what he starts. CHP candidate İmamoğlu, by contrast, stands out for inconstancy, trying to control public opinion, manipulating data and using mass psychology. Mr Yıldırım weighs in with the label 'mature', while İmamoğlu is often noted for his 'youth'. From other countries we know that such cases often lead to a rational - or irrational - decision in favour either of 'political wisdom' or 'political ambition'.”