Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
The final voting results in Istanbul may affect the overall outcome of the municipal elections in Turkey, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish media April 1.
The latest bulletins in Istanbul are currently being counted.
According to preliminary data, in Istanbul, Binali Yildirim, candidate from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), gained 48.70 percent, while his rival from the Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi) Ekrem Imamoglu gained 48.65 percent of the vote.
In general, the union between the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) and the Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi) gained 51.67 percent of the vote in the municipal elections in Turkey.
Following the elections, Mansur Yavas, candidate from the Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), became the mayor of Ankara.
Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections March 31. These included the Felicity Party (SP), the Independent Turkey Party (Bağımsız Türkiye Partisi), the Communist Party of Turkey (Türkiye Komünist Partisi), the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), the Great Unity Party (Büyük Birlik Partisi), Free Cause Party (Hür Dava Partisi), Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi), Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi), Good Party (İYİ Parti), Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti).
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nominated the candidacy of ex-Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci for the post of the head of the Izmir municipality, as well as the candidacy of Binali Yildirim for the post of the head of the Istanbul municipality.
Municipal elections are held every 5 years in Turkey.
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