Binali Yildirim, the ruling party candidate in the controversial re-run of Istanbul’s mayoral election, conceded defeat on Sunday.

Initial results from the state-run Anadolu news agency showed opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu leading with 53.69 per cent to Yildirim’s 45.4 per cent with more than 95 per cent of ballots counted.

“According to the result as of now, my competitor Ekrem Imamoglu is leading the race. I congratulate him and wish him good luck,” Yildirim said.

AFP