ANKARA, Turkey — p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Verdana; color: #1e497d; -webkit-text-stroke: #1e497d} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} The interview had ended. The digital recorder was turned off. But as Al-Monitor prepared to leave his office, the interviewee said something that was not for attribution: “If (President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan loses in these elections, Turkey will have a hard time.”
Erdogan did lose in the local elections of March 31. Not nationwide — where his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came home with 44% of the vote — but in the biggest cities of the country, Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul. In Istanbul, the recounting of votes was continuing.
