- NEW: Turkey’s Prime Minister calls the vote a victory for democracy
- Rival parties claim victory in municipal races as authorities count votes
- Prime Minister Erdogan’s government faces a wide-ranging corruption probe
- Erdogan has tried to shut down Twitter, Facebook and YouTube as outlets for critics
(CNN) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan dominated debates leading up to Sunday’s local elections, even though he wasn’t on the ballot.
Even before results were announced, a triumphant Erdogan spoke to cheering supporters from the balcony of the headquarters of his ruling Justice and Development Party, calling the vote a victory for democracy in Turkey.
Erdogan said he delivered an “Ottoman slap” to opponents at the polls. He compared his opponents to medieval assassins, and he vowed to pursue them.
Even though Erdogan wasn’t running for office, the closely watched municipal votes could show how much recent controversies and corruption probes are affecting support for him and his ruling party.
CNN sister network CNN Turk reported that Erdogan’s party had taken a strong early lead in the vote count, but opposition sources contest that.
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