Opposition mayors in Istanbul and Ankara claimed victory in Turkey's local elections on Sunday, delivering a surprise election defeat to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He later accepted their gains, calling the vote a “turning point”, as his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost in key battlegrounds Ankara and Istanbul.
With 96 per cent of ballot boxes opened, Istanbul's Republican People's Party (CHP) mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said he had seen off the challenge of Mr Erdogan's candidate by more than one million votes.
“We have won the election,” Mr Imamoglu declared. “Tomorrow is a new spring day for our country.”
Large crowds filled the square outside the Istanbul city headquarters waving Turkish flags and lighting torches to celebrate the result.
The CHP also retained the capital with Mayor Mansur Yavas saying “the elections are over, we will continue to serve Ankara”.
Mr Yavas was leading with 58.6 per cent of the vote against 33.5 per cent for his AKP opponent from 46.4 per cent of ballot boxes opened. The CHP was also ahead in Izmir, Turkey's third city and a party stronghold.
Both Mr Imamoglu and Mr Yavas are members of the pro-secular nationalist Republican People's Party or CHP. Mr Erdogan's AKP lost control of both cities in a surprise victory for the country’s embattled opposition in 2019, which ushered in fresh crackdowns on his opponents, and was followed by Mr Erdogan's re-election as president in 2023.
Sixty-one million people were eligible to vote in the local elections across the country.
The vote was taking place after years of economic gloom, with the country having suffered 70 per cent inflation and a fall in industrial output. But in recent months, the economy has returned to modest growth and youth unemployment dipped around a percentage point to nine per cent last year, significantly below a lot of European countries, but still near double digits.
There were reports of violence in separate incidents across the country, despite the Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya earlier announcing that 594,000 security personnel had been posted to ensure the vote goes smoothly.
The state-owned Anadolu reported that armed groups clashed in south-eastern Turkey, with at least one person killed and 11 more injured. It added that another 16 were injured in a clash in Sanliurfa, also in Turkey's restive south-east, where Kurdish separatist groups have a strong presence.
The election was seen as crucial for Mr Erdogan's plans to usher in a new national constitution that would allow him to rule beyond 2028, analysts say.
Observers say many governing party supporters could have chosen not to go to the polls in protest of the economic downturn that has left many struggling to pay for food, utilities and rent.
Mr Imamoglu ran in the poll without the support of some of the parties that helped him to victory in 2019.
Both the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party and the nationalist IYI Party fielded their own candidates in the race, which risked siphoning away votes from Mr Imamoglu.
A six-party opposition alliance led by CHP disintegrated after it failed to oust Mr Erdogan in last year's election, unable to capitalise on the economic crisis and the government's initially poor response to last year's devastating earthquake that killed more than 53,000 people.
Meanwhile, a new religious-conservative party, the New Welfare Party, or YRP, was appealing to voters who have been disillusioned with Mr Erdogan’s handling of the economy and was expected to draw some votes away from his candidates.
In Turkey's mainly Kurdish-populated south-east, the DEM Party was expected to win many of the municipalities but it's unclear whether it would be allowed to retain them. In previous years, Mr Erdogan’s government removed elected pro-Kurdish mayors from office for alleged links to Kurdish militants and replaced them with state-appointed trustees.
Agencies contributed to this report
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sri Lanka World Cup squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
STAGE%201%20RESULTS
%3Cp%3E1)%20Tim%20Merlier%20(Soudal-Quick-Step)%2C%203h%2017%E2%80%99%2035%E2%80%9D%3Cbr%3E2)%20Caleb%20Ewan%20(Lotto%20Dstny)%20same%20time%3Cbr%3E3)%20Mark%20Cavendish%20(Astana%20Qazaqstan%20Team)%20same%20time%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20Classification%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1)%20Tim%20Merlier%20(Soudal%20Quick-Step)%203%3A17%3A25%3Cbr%3E2%20-%20Caleb%20Ewan%20(Lotto%20Dstny)%20%2B4%22%3Cbr%3E3%20-%20Luke%20Plapp%20(Ineos%20Grenadiers)%20%2B5%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
