Turkey’s secular opposition candidate won 54% of vote
Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of Turkey’s secular opposition Republican People’s Party, has won Istanbul’s mayoral election. Imamoglu won 54 per cent of the vote, beating former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
Imamoglu won by a margin of 7,75,000 votes – a substantial increase from the election in March during which he had won by just 13,000 votes. Turkey’s election board had cancelled the March election after the ruling AK party alleged that ballot boxes had been stolen.
This is a huge blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had earlier said that “whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey.”
Czech PM Andrej Babis refuses to step down
Thousands of protesters in Czech Republic have been demanding resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who is being investigated for alleged fraud and an EU conflict-of-interest. This is said to be the largest protest since the fall of communism in the country in 1989.
Babis had allegedly hid ownership of his farm and conference centre so that he could qualify for an EU small business subsidy. The European Commission also found him in conflict of interest over placing his business conglomerate Agrofort in trust funds.
Babis has, however, dismissed all the allegations and refused to step down.
Ethiopia’s state chief also killed in coup attempt
Ethiopia’s Army Chief of Staff Gen Seare Mekonnen, the head of the country’s Amhara region Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen and his top advisor were killed in an attempted coup Saturday. Regional Attorney General Migbaru Kebede has also been seriously injured.
Brigadier General Asaminew Tsige, who was serving as Amhara’s Peace and Security bureau head, has been accused of orchestrating the coup attempt. Tsige was granted amnesty and released from prison last year when the previous government moved to free political detainees in response to public pressure.
The general had been in custody for nine years for allegedly plotting a coup. Tsige is part of the Amhara ethnic.
Ethiopia is set to hold parliamentary elections next year, but many fear that violence may push back polling.
In other news:
EU set to pause budget crackdown on Italy, Financial Times
Is the G20 destined to fade into irrelevance in a leaderless world – courtesy Donald Trump?, South China Morning Post
North Korea says Kim Jong-un received ‘excellent’ letter from Trump, New York Times