Turkey is set to hold local elections to determine control of key cities including Istanbul. Candidates from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Republican Peoples Party (CHP) are campaigning for leadership positions in Istanbul ahead of the elections.
On Sunday, millions of voters in Turkey head to the polls to elect mayors and administrators in local elections, gauging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's popularity as his ruling party aims to regain key cities lost five years ago. Campaign rallies and banners across Istanbul showcase the competition between Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Republican People's Party (CHP), with the election serving as a significant test for Erdogan's political strength.
In Istanbul, voters are deciding the leadership for the next five years in local elections held across Turkey, with a focus on the battle to win Istanbul, the country's largest city. The city, known for its minaret-punctured skyline and bustling waterways, features landmarks like the Suleymaniye Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The backstreets offer a glimpse into daily life with aromas of fresh bread and spices, the local spirit raki, and the presence of stray cats, attracting both residents and tourists.
The Justice and Development Party (Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, Turkish pronunciation: [adaːˈlet ve kaɫkɯnˈma paɾtiˈsi]; AK PARTİ), abbreviated officially as AK Party in English, is a political party in Turkey self-describing as conservative-democratic. It has been the ruling party of Turkey since 2003. Third-party sources often refer to the party as national conservative, social conservative, right-wing populist and as espousing neo-Ottomanism. The party is generally regarded as being right-wing on the political spectrum, although some sources have described it as far-right since 2011. It is one of the two major parties of contemporary Turkey along with the Republican People's Party (CHP).Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been chairman of AKP since the 2017 Party Congress. The AKP is the largest party in the Grand National Assembly, the Turkish national legislature, with 263 out of 600 seats, having won 35.6% of votes in the 2023 Turkish parliamentary election. It forms the People's Alliance with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The current AKP parliamentary leader is Abdullah Güler.Founded in 2001 by members of a number of parties such as FP, ANAP and DYP, the party has a strong base of support among people from the conservative tradition of Turkey, though the party strongly denies it is Islamist. The party positioned itself as pro-liberal market economy, supporting Turkish membership in the European Union. Orange is the party's main colour. Other colours include white for the logo, blue for the flag, and orange-white-blue-red for the corporate design.The AKP is the only party in Turkey with a significant presence in all provinces of Turkey. Since the beginning of Turkey's multiparty democracy in 1946, AKP is the only party to win seven consecutive parliamentary elections. The AKP has headed the national government since 2002 under Abdullah Gül (2002–2003), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2003–2014), Ahmet Davutoğlu (2014–2016), Binali Yıldırım (2016–2018) and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2018–present). The AKP's rule has been marked with increasing authoritarianism, expansionism, censorship and banning of other political parties and dissent.The party was an observer in the European People's Party between 2005 and 2013. After not being granted full membership in the EPP, the party became a member of the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) from 2013 to 2018.AK Party has dominated Turkish politics since 2002. It is the sixth largest political party in the world by membership and the biggest in the world outside India, China and the U.S.
Gunmen opened fire at a campaign event for upcoming municipal elections in Istanbul, critically wounding one person. The attack took place as Aziz Yeniay, a candidate for mayor, was visiting an association. A 32-year-old woman was critically wounded and the attackers escaped. Police are reviewing security camera footage and investigating the incident. The ruling AKP party hopes to retake crucial cities and districts it lost to the opposition Republican Peoples Party five years ago in the upcoming elections.
The Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, pronounced [dʒumhuːɾiˈjet haɫk 'paɾtisi] , acronymized as CHP [dʒeːheːpeˑ]) is a Kemalist and social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president and founder of the modern Turkish Republic. The party is also cited as the founding party of modern Turkey. Its logo consists of the Six Arrows, which represent the foundational principles of Kemalism: republicanism, reformism, laicism (Laïcité/Secularism), populism, nationalism, and statism. It is currently the second largest party in Grand National Assembly with 129 MPs, behind the ruling conservative Justice and Development Party (AK Party).The political party has its origins in the various resistance groups founded during the Turkish War of Independence. Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, they united in the 1919 Sivas Congress. In 1923, the "People's Party", soon adding the word "Republican" to its name, declared itself to be a political organisation and announced the establishment of the Turkish Republic, with Atatürk as its first president. As Turkey moved into its authoritarian one-party period, the CHP was the apparatus of implementing far reaching political, cultural, social, and economic reforms in the country.After World War II, Atatürk's successor, İsmet İnönü, allowed for multi-party elections, and the party initiated a peaceful transition of power after losing the 1950 election, ending the one-party period and beginning Turkey's multi-party period. The years following the 1960 military coup saw the party gradually trend towards the center-left, which was cemented once Bülent Ecevit became chairman in 1972. The CHP, along with all other political parties of the time, was banned by the military junta of 1980. The CHP was re-established with its original name by Deniz Baykal on 9 September 1992, with the participation of a majority of its members from the pre-1980 period. Since 2002 it has been the main opposition party to the ruling AKP. Özgür Özel is the chairman of the CHP since 5 November 2023.It is a founding party of the Nation Alliance, a diverse coalition of opposition parties against the AKP and their People's Alliance. In addition, CHP is an associate member of the Party of European Socialists (PES), a member of the Socialist International, and the Progressive Alliance. Many politicians of CHP have declared their support for LGBT rights and the feminist movement in Turkey. The party is pro-European and supports Turkish membership to European Union and NATO.
The city of Istanbul has been known by a number of different names. The most notable names besides the modern Turkish name are Byzantium, Constantinople, and Stamboul. Different names are associated with different phases of its history, with different languages, and with different portions of it.
Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) is the largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, cultural and historic hub. The city straddles the Bosporus Strait, lying in both Europe and Asia, and has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is the most populous European city and the world's 15th largest city.The city was founded as Byzantium (Greek: Βυζάντιον, Byzantion) in the 7th century BCE by Greek settlers from Megara. In 330 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great made it his imperial capital, renaming it first as New Rome (Greek: Νέα Ῥώμη, Nea Rhomē; Latin: Nova Roma) and then as Constantinople (Constantinopolis) after himself. In 1930, the city's name was officially changed to Istanbul, the Turkish rendering of εἰς τὴν Πόλιν (romanized: eis tḕn Pólin; 'to the City'), the appellation Greek speakers used since the 11th century to colloquially refer to the city.The city served as an imperial capital for almost 1600 years: during the Roman/Byzantine (330–1204), Latin (1204–1261), late Byzantine (1261–1453), and Ottoman (1453–1922) empires. The city grew in size and influence, eventually becoming a beacon of the Silk Road and one of the most important cities in history. The city played a key role in the advancement of Christianity during Roman/Byzantine times, hosting four of the first seven ecumenical councils before its transformation to an Islamic stronghold following the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE—especially after becoming the seat of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1517. In 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, Ankara replaced the city as the capital of the newly formed Republic of Turkey.Istanbul has surpassed London and Dubai to become the most visited city in the world, with more than 20 million foreign visitors in 2023. The historic centre of Istanbul is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city hosts the headquarters of numerous Turkish companies, accounting for more than thirty percent of the country's economy.
Metro İstanbul is a public rail transport operator headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey.Established in 1988, the company is responsible for operating most of Istanbul's rail systems, including the Istanbul Metro, Istanbul Tram, funiculars and aerial tramways.
Candidates for Iran's parliament have started campaigning for the upcoming election after the 2022 nationwide protests, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, led to a bloody crackdown. A record number of 15,200 candidates, including 1,713 women, will compete for the 290-seat chamber. The election, scheduled for March 1, will see hardliners vying for control, with current speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf facing challenges, and President Ebrahim Raisi seeking reelection to the Assembly of Experts. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's role as the supreme leader remains crucial as the Assembly monitors and selects his successor.
Istanbul Airport (Turkish: İstanbul Havalimanı, IATA: IST, ICAO: LTFM) is the larger of two international airports serving Istanbul, Turkey. It is located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of the city.All scheduled commercial passenger flights were transferred from Atatürk Airport to Istanbul Airport on 6 April 2019, following the closure of Atatürk Airport for scheduled passenger flights. The IATA airport code IST was also transferred to the new airport.It served more than 64 million passengers in 2022, making it the busiest airport in Europe of 2022, however Heathrow surpassed it in 2023 and it was also the 7th-busiest airport in the world of 2022 in terms of total passenger traffic and, by serving more than 48 million international passengers, the 5th-busiest airport in the world in terms of international passenger traffic according to ACI World traffic values.It serves up to 114 countries and is the hub for Turkish Airlines.
The Bharatiya Janata Party will hold a late night meeting to finalise the remaining seats in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, sources said on Saturday. Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP (SP), on Saturday declared MP Supriya Sule as their candidate from Maharashtra's Baramati Lok Sabha seat, amid speculation that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar could be fielded from there. Police have lodged a case of culpable homicide against three organisers of the Mahashivratri procession, in which 16 children and two others Former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday said a clear picture would emerge on Sunday after the BJP election committee meeting on party's candidates in Karnataka. Arriving here days after being made BJP nominee for Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for the third time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a rousing reception at the Varanasi airport on Saturday. The IndiGo flight coming from Mumbai to Istanbul has been delayed due to a technical issue, the airline said on Saturday.
.istanbul and .ist are approved top level domains (TLD) for the Internet. It is a community-based sponsored top-level domain by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and subsidiary Medya A.Ş. According to the Medya A.Ş., .istanbul will improve awareness on Istanbul's historical heritage and help economic growth by allowing unlimited and open registration of the names.Along with TLDs such as .cat and .asia, .istanbul and other new TLDs fall into the new category of GeoTLDs.
Istanbul is the name of two brands of cymbals, Istanbul Agop and Istanbul Mehmet, made in Istanbul using traditional cymbal making methods.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Istanbul to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan aimed to negotiate an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and discuss ensuring navigational safety in the Black Sea. Turkey has previously facilitated meetings between Russia and Ukraine to broker deals, including a grain shipment agreement. Zelenskyy also visited shipyards in Istanbul where Turkish companies are constructing two corvettes for the Ukrainian navy. The two leaders met at the Dolmabahce Palace, with discussions focused on the conflict with Russia and Black Sea navigation.
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 novelty song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. The lyrics humorously refer to the official renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul. The song's original release, performed by The Four Lads, was certified as a gold record. Numerous cover versions have been recorded over the years, most famously a 1990 rock version by They Might Be Giants.
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