Erdogan's party suffer surprise defeats in Turkish mayoral elections in three biggest cities

Despite ruling Turkey with iron first and a years-long crackdown on opposition figures and free press in recent years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice or Development Party – known as AKP – was delivered a surprise blow in local elections this week. However, the AKP’s secretary-general announced on Twitter Monday that they will be contesting the results of Istanbul and Ankara, citing voting irregularities.