Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkey’s top election authority announced on Monday an unprecedented second round of voting in its presidential race between Islamist Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and secularist challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

Thousands of protesters marched across Turkey this week after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a political rising star and major rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and banned from participating in politics.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under increasing pressure to impose a full lockdown as coronavirus cases mount in his country.

Istanbul — Turkey stepped up controls Saturday on crowded public spaces including markets and ferries in Istanbul, a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan imposed the use of face masks to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

Istanbul Mayor-elect Ekrem Imamoglu called his election Sunday – in a special election called to overturn his initial victory in May – a victory for Turkey and democracy generally after winning by a wider margin than during the first election.

ISTANBUL— Turkey’s opposition supporters partied long into the night after their candidate for Istanbul mayor beat a rival backed by long-time President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.