Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party is leading in local elections Sunday as of 7.45 pm (1645 GMT) with 18 metropolitan municipalities claimed by AK Party candidates including Istanbul, Konya, and Sanliurfa, Anadolu Agency reported.
AK Party gets 47.41 percent of overall votes as its closest rival Republican People’s Party (CHP) gets 31.43 percent of overall votes.
People’s Alliance of AK Party and the Nationalist Movement Party claims 52.37 percent while the Nation Alliance of CHP and Iyi Party gets 37.38 percent of overall votes.
In Istanbul, AK Party’s candidate Binali Yildirim is leading with 50.64 percent and in the capital Ankara, CHP candidate Mansur Yavas is ahead with 48.9 percent, according to early results.
In the western resort city of Izmir CHP’s candidate, Mustafa Tunc Soyer is leading with 58.26 percent and in the southwestern province of Diyarbakir People’s Democratic Party (HDP) candidate, Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli is ahead with 58.05 percent.
In the central Konya province, AK Party candidate Ugur Ibrahim Atalay is leading with sweeping 71.04 percent of the votes.
Voter turnout is 83.36 percent as 70,621 out of 194,678 ballot boxes have been counted across Turkey.
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The voting ended for local elections in all 81 provinces across Turkey at 5 p.m. local time (1400GMT) on March 31, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
According to the Supreme Election Council (YSK) decision, voting started in 32 out of Turkey’s 81 provinces at 7 a.m. local time (0400GMT) and ended at 4 p.m. (1300GMT).
In the remaining provinces, polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and closed at 5.00 p.m. local time (1400GMT).
Voters living in Turkey’s larger cities voted to elect a mayor for the entire city, as well as district municipal mayors, city council members, muhtars (neighborhood officials), and members of elder councils.
The voters chose from 12 political parties competing in the local elections.
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Municipal elections start in Turkey. As many as 13 political parties will take part in the municipal elections in Turkey, according to local media.
The Felicity Party, the Independent Turkey Party, the Communist Party of Turkey, the Homeland Party, the Great Unity Party, the Free Cause Party, the Republican People’s Party, the Justice and Development Party, the Democratic Party, the Nationalist Movement Party, the Good Party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party and the Democratic Left Party will take part in the elections.
Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nominated the candidacy of ex-Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekchi for the post of the head of the municipality of Izmir, as well as the candidacy of Binali Yıldırım for the post of the head of the Istanbul municipality.
The municipal elections in Turkey held every five years.
