Turkey's main opposition candidate in Istanbul urged the High Election Board (YSK) on Wednesday to confirm him as the elected mayor after it ruled in favor of a partial recount of votes in eight of the city's 39 districts.
Initial results from Sunday's mayoral elections showed the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) had narrowly won control of Turkey's two biggest cities, Istanbul and Ankara, in a shock upset for President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party.
If those results are confirmed in the coming days, the CHP will gain control of municipal budgets with an estimated total value of 32.6 billion liras ($5.79 billion) for 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey's commercial hub, and the capital Ankara.