Turkey gains new wave of female mayors after opposition's poll success

Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Bakirkoy district mayoral candidate Aysegul Ovalioglu greet their supporters as they celebrate their election victory in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) in Istanbul, Turkey April 1, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Gulistan Sonuk, 31, sailed to election victory in Turkey's conservative heartland at the weekend, part of a wave of new women mayors who dealt President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party and its allies a watershed defeat.

The nationwide local elections nearly tripled the number of female mayors to 11 out of the 81 provinces, and included five women taking charge of major urban centres.