Turkey

ISTANBUL; 2 Apr 2019; AA: The Istanbul provincial head of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Monday said voting in the city during Sunday’s local ballot had seen documented irregularities that could potentially change the outcome in AK Party’s favor. 

"Our [party] organization has been vigilantly reviewing all available data since last night," Bayram Senocak told a party meeting on the European side of the city.

1 Apr 2019; DW: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) said they secured most mayoral positions nationwide in Sunday's municipal elections. But the AKP suffered major losses, as the main opposition's candidates eked out a win in the capital, Ankara, and pulled ahead in Istanbul, according to results released Monday.

ANKARA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a bitter setback as his ruling party lost control of the capital Ankara in Sunday's local elections and the race tipped towards the opposition in Istanbul, the country's largest city.

The key mayoral elections across Turkey were the first since Erdogan assumed sweeping executive powers after a previous election in June 2018 and are seen as a confidence test for his 16-year rule amid a sharp economic downturn.

ANKARA; 1 Apr 2019; AA: Turkey’s main opposition candidate has been elected mayor of Turkey’s western Canakkale province in local elections on Sunday.

Ulgur Gokhan bagged 39,041 votes, while opposition Ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party got 23,531 votes, according to the unofficial results.

ANKARA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The partial results showed Turkey's ruling party, which was leading in Sunday's local elections with the slightest margin in Istanbul race, was setting to lose capital Ankara.

The People's Alliance, between ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), was leading with 51.7 percent of the votes in local elections on Sunday after 91 percent of ballots were counted, state broadcaster TRT said.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Voters in Turkey began casting ballots in Sunday’s municipal elections, which are seen as a barometer of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s popularity amid a sharp economic downturn in the nation that straddles Europe and Asia.

28 Mar 2019; DW: A court in Istanbul has rejected "defamation and slander through press" charges against freelance journalist Pelin Unker, who also works as a contributor for DW.

The presiding judge said that the case would be dismissed due to the statute of limitations specified in the Turkish Press Law.

Talking to DW correspondent Julia Hahn, Unker said the trials against reporters "are aimed at intimidating us."

ANKARA; 25 Mar 2019; AA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday applauded the humane stance of the people of New Zealand following last week's twin mosque attacks in Christchurch city.

“The people of New Zealand gave a lesson of humanity to those who did not get their share of humanity,” Erdogan told a live broadcast in Istanbul.

ANKARA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey will take the issue of U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights to the United Nations.

U.S. President Donald Trump's statement on Golan Heights is a "gift" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of parliamentary elections set for April, Erdogan said in an interview with local broadcaster TGRT Haber.

ANKARA, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's banking and capital markets watchdogs said late Saturday they had launched investigations into JP Morgan and other banks over "misleading and manipulative actions" after the lira plunged sharply Friday.

In a written statement, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) said it received complaints that a report JP Morgan published on Friday hurt the reputation of Turkish banks and led to volatility in financial markets.