Erdogan’s Party Is Deeply Divided by Push to Redo Istanbul Election

Source:New York Times Date:27Apr2019

You are as good as your last victory in politics.  AK Party has developed visible fissures.  A re-election can turn them into cracks:

A last-ditch effort by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing party to annul the election for mayor of Istanbul has opened wide divisions in the party’s rank and file and with its nationalist allies, as even the president has come under unusual attack.

A second election would raise the prospect of further repression and legal wrangles, and a prolonged struggle could spark another crash of confidence in Turkey’s economy.

The Turkish lira, which lost 30 percent of its value last year, dipped again toward record lows this week, recording 5.9 to the dollar on Thursday. Unemployment has risen to nearly 14 percent, and the government depleted its reserves propping up the currency in the run up to the March 31 election.