The opposition is also likely to win the city parliaments of Istanbul and Ankara

According to preliminary numbers, the center-left Republican People's Party is replacing the Justice and Development Party as the strongest force in both representations.

Two days after the opposition's surprise victory in the mayoral elections in Turkey, it is expected to achieve another victory in the parliaments of the cities of Istanbul and Ankara.

A member of the Electoral College said on Tuesday that according to preliminary numbers, the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP) is replacing the AKP as the stronger force in both representations.

Erdogan described them as “lame ducks.”

The CHP also won the two important city mayor positions in the 2019 local elections, but did not win a majority in the city parliaments. The mayors – Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul and Mansur Yavaş in Ankara – have repeatedly complained of being blocked by the conservative Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) majority. At the time, Recep Tayyip Erdogan described them as “lame ducks.”

For example, İmamoğlu accused the city parliament of blocking loans for his projects or delaying construction projects. In Ankara, Yavaş accused the city parliament of obstructing the expansion of a wastewater treatment plant. Any investment will be prevented, said those close to Mayor Yavaş.

Both CHP politicians also repeatedly accuse the central government of imposing a politically motivated blockade. According to the Istanbul administration, the Ministry of Economic Affairs delayed approval of metro projects, while other ministries blocked coronavirus aid to residents in Istanbul. Imamoglu also accused Erdogan's central government of cutting off his funds. The Istanbul municipality has not obtained a loan from any government bank since 2019.