Erdogan concedes his party’s defeat in local election and promises to draw conclusions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted that the ruling Justice and Development Party failed to obtain the desired results in the March 31 local election.

“Nine months after our victory in the [general and presidential] elections in May 2023, unfortunately we failed to obtain the result we wanted and hoped for in the local election. The results will be analyzed. We will do so self-critically and objectively. The people have given us their message, their will, and their warnings through the ballot boxes,” he said.

Erdogan said he and his party will not ignore the national will. “We will, of course, respect the decision of the nation. We will avoid being stubborn, acting against the national will, and questioning the power of the nation,” Erdogan explained, specifying that his party and administration will “correct the mistakes made” in the next 4-5 years.