Erdogan says his party will fight until Turkey’s election board decides on Istanbul recounts

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday his AK Party would fight until the High Election Board (YSK) gives a final ruling on the March 31 local elections. The statement comes a day after the main opposition candidate took the Istanbul mayor’s office. After 17 days of objections and recounts, Ekrem Imamoglu took office on Wednesday, despite a pending request by the AKP to annul and repeat mayoral elections in Istanbul, Reuters reports. Erdogan also told union members that Turkey needs to use the next 4 1/2 years until scheduled elections effectively and tackle economic and security problems.