Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a major blow on Sunday as the opposition candidate in Istanbul's controversial mayoral election re-run romped to victory.
Ekrem Imamoglu won the first vote in March by a tiny margin of just 13,000 votes in the city of 15 million.
But after being stripped of that victory over controversial claims of fraud, he vowed a "battle for democracy" that turned him into a household name.
With more than 99 percent of ballots counted on Sunday night, Imamoglu was winning by more than 775,000 votes -- and had 54 percent overall .
"It was not a single group or party, but the whole of Istanbul and Turkey that won this election," Imamoglu said in his victory speech.
"Mr President, I am ready to work in harmony with you. I convey from here my request to meet with you in the shortest time possible," he added.
Critics accused Erdogan of refusing to give up control of Istanbul, Turkey's economic powerhouse and a crucial source of patronage for Islamic ...
