Baku, Azerbaijan, April 3
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
The results of the municipal elections were not rigged, opposition candidate of the Republican People’s Republican Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi) of Turkey, Ekrem Imamoglu said, Trend reports via Turkish media.
Imamoglu noted that it is Turkey that won the municipal elections, and there are no losers or winners.
He further added that a number of mistakes were made at the elections in Istanbul by the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK), but this does not affect the outcome of the elections.
Bayram Senocak, head of the Istanbul branch of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated that the AKP has evidence of the election results in Istanbul being falsified in favor of candidate of the opposition Republican People's Party Ekrem Imamoglu.
Sadi Guven, head of the YSK, said on April 2 that the results of the municipal elections in Istanbul remain unchanged.
As reported earlier, the candidate of the opposition Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi) Ekrem Imamoglu is ahead of candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Binali Yildirim on preliminary results of the municipal elections in Istanbul.
Imamoglu gained 4.159 million votes, while Yildirim got 4.131 million votes in Istanbul.
The coalition of the ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party gained 51.67 percent of votes in the municipal elections throughout the country.
Following the elections, candidate of the Republican People’s Party Mansur Yavas became mayor of Ankara.
Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections held 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), Iyi Party (İYİ Parti), Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti).
Municipal elections are held every 5 years in Turkey.