Turkey was at a “turning point” Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the opposition fighting his two-decade rule swept municipal elections in Istanbul, the country’s emblematic megapolis, and other major cities.

Near-final results showed the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) wresting the main cities and Anatolian provinces that were strongholds for Erdogan’s Islamic conservative AKP party.

Top urban centres Istanbul, capital Ankara, Adana, Bursa and Antalya were among municipalities to elect CHP mayors Sunday, less than a year after the knockback of a failed presidential challenge last May.

Observers called it Erdogan’s worst election defeat since his party took power in 2002.

Many blamed inflation running at 67 percent and a crashing devaluation of the lira currency over the past year.

Pro-government dailies Hurriyet and Yeni Safah on Monday highlighted the voters’ “message” to incumbents.

The result “can only be explained by the economy,” wrote Abdulkadir Selvi, a commentator for pro-government daily Hurriyet seen as close to the Erdogan camp.