Turkish opposition disarray lifts Erdogan’s hopes of winning back Istanbul

Disunity among Turkey’s opposition parties has boosted President Tayyip Erdogan’s hopes that his AK Party can regain control of Istanbul in this month’s municipal elections, pollsters say, following his victory in last year’s presidential vote.
The outcome of the March 31 election in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, is seen as key in deciding the political fate of its mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, 52, long touted as a potential leader of the main opposition CHP and possibly a future president.
Five years ago, Imamoglu and the secularist CHP dealt Erdogan a heavy blow in municipal elections by winning control of Istanbul, the president’s home city, and the capital Ankara after 25 years of rule by the AKP and its Islamist predecessors.
But Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for nearly a quarter of a century, beat off a strong opposition challenge last May to win re-election as president, while the AKP and its allies secured another parliamentary majority.
The alliance that helped propel Imamoglu to victory in Istanbul has since collapsed, and his nationalist and pro-Kurdish allies are fielding their own candidates this month.