- In Turkey, around 61 million people are called upon to elect mayors, local councilors and other local politicians.
- The elections are also seen as a test of sentiment for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was recently re-elected.
- Violent clashes marred the vote in the southeast of the country.
The national election is taking place under difficult circumstances: high inflation could cost Erdogan’s party votes. Many are struggling with rising food prices and skyrocketing rents; According to a survey, many young people would like to leave the country. The opposition, which ran as an alliance in the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2023, is considered divided and is no longer running as a united body.
Around ten months after Erdogan’s re-election, it is eagerly awaited whether the Islamic conservative AKP will succeed in winning back the metropolis of Istanbul and the capital Ankara from the opposition. In Istanbul, the country’s economic and cultural center, a neck-and-neck race was expected between AKP candidate Murat Kurum (47) and incumbent mayor Ekrem Imamoglu (53) from the center-left CHP party.
When he cast his vote on Sunday, Erdogan said he hoped the election would mark the beginning of a “new era”. 20 percent of all votes are cast in Istanbul.
Should Imamoglu win again, his position as a possible future presidential candidate will be strengthened. However, if the AKP candidate wins, observers warn that Erdogan could feel encouraged to explore new limits. He could therefore seek a constitutional change in order to secure another term in office, which the current constitution prohibits.
Dispute over election escalates in southeast
Disputes surrounding the election have escalated in the Kurdish metropolis of Diyarbakir as well as in the province of Siirt, the state news agency Anadolu reported. Two people were killed. Eleven people were also injured in Diyarbakir and four in Siirt.
During the arguments, those involved attacked each other with firearms, stones and sticks. When asked, the pro-Kurdish party DEM (formerly HDP), which has strong support in the southeast, said it was investigating the incident in Diyarbakir.
In the southeast, the pro-Kurdish DEM party is under great pressure. Still under the name HDP, the party won 65 mayoral positions in the last municipal elections. However, the national government in Ankara had a large number of politicians removed from office because of terrorism allegations. In place of the DEM politicians, receivers were appointed.
No major irregularities so far
The election campaign was considered unfair – a large part of the media in Turkey is under direct or indirect control of the government. No major voting irregularities were initially reported. The DEM party said that in the southeastern Turkish province of Sanliurfa, government officials tried to vote at more than one ballot box. This was prevented and documented.
Legend:
A polling station in Istanbul: The result in the metropolis is eagerly awaited.
Keystone/EPA/ERDEM SAHIN
The last polling stations closed at 4 p.m. CEST. The first official results are expected later on Sunday evening.