Five things to know about 2024 Türkiye’s local elections
As Turks vote on Sunday, with AK Party eyeing a win in Istanbul, here are five key things to know about Türkiye’s local elections
Turks will vote Sunday in local elections with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s target is winning back Istanbul – the country’s economic powerhouse – after he was re-elected head of state in a tight contest last year.
Why does Istanbul matter?
Istanbul’s mayoral vote is historically significant and the city is considered, politically, the most important administrative region in the country.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is, therefore, eager to recapture Türkiye’s biggest metropolitan, as well as the capital, Ankara, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) this March.
“Whoever wins Istanbul wins Türkiye,” Erdogan himself once said.
“We are preparing for elections where we have no choice but to win with a crushing landslide,” Erdogan said.
“Our goal is to restore real municipalism to all cities, especially Istanbul and Ankara, which have been grappling with a lack of services for the past five years.”
The AK Party lost control of Istanbul and Ankara, as well as five megacities, to the CHP in the last local elections of 2019 for the first time in 25 years.
Erdogan can’t easily give up on Istanbul, Türkiye’s economic powerhouse and a crucial source of patronage for Islamic conservatives, which has a population of 16 million.
What are new voting hours?
This year, voting hours have been changed to 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in 32 provinces, while in other provinces they are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The provinces with the change in timing based on the daylight hours are Adiyaman, Agri, Artvin, Bingol, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Kars, Malatya, Kahramanmaras, Mardin, Mus, Ordu, Rize, Siirt, Sivas, Trabzon, Tunceli, Sanliurfa, Van, Bayburt, Batman, Sirnak, Ardahan, Igdir and Kilis.
How to vote?
To find out where you are registered, check your e-devlet, the Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) website, or the mobile voter inquiry app (Secmen Sorgulama) or call the Supreme Election Board telephone hotline at 444 9975.
The ballot paper with Istanbul’s 49 candidates will be 97 centimetres long.
Voters will need a form of valid identification to cast their ballot. This could be an ID card, a driver’s license, a wedding book, or any identification that represents the voter, which will be accepted.
The results should be tallied at 6:00 p.m.; most broadcasters will show them as they come in.
What about Kurdish votes?
Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the third largest in the 600-seat parliament, picked two candidates to run for mayor of Istanbul, whereas, in 2019, Imamoglu won in part thanks to the DEM Party’s decision to stay out of the race and implicitly supported the joint opposition candidate.
Kurds represent a significant share of Istanbul’s voters.
What restrictions apply on voting day?
The sale and consumption of alcohol will be prohibited throughout the voting day and until midnight. This year, the Christian holiday of Easter also falls on the same date, which is something to keep in mind when planning to celebrate the day.
Restaurants will not be able to serve alcohol, nor will it be available for purchase at shops.
Entertainment venues, coffeehouses, tea houses and internet cafes will remain closed during voting.
However, they will be allowed to offer dining services in their restaurants. No restrictions seem to be in place for shopping centers.
Celebrations such as weddings, engagements, and circumcision ceremonies will also not be allowed during voting hours but will be permitted after 6 p.m., subject to all other restrictions.
Meanwhile, only authorized personnel responsible for maintaining public order will be allowed to carry weapons on voting day.
Source: Newsroom
