ANKARA: With over 98 percent of the ballots counted in Turkey’s local elections by early Monday morning, the governing Justice and Development (AK) Party-led People’s Alliance leads the polls.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party has won 51.7 percent of the nationwide vote, according to unofficial results.
Election officials continue to count ballots cast in Sunday’s local elections but the country awaits official results from the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK).
The Nation Alliance, led by Republican People’s Party (CHP), has raked in 37.6 percent nationwide, winning Ankara and Izmir.
The result for Istanbul remained too close to call as both alliances claimed victory there and vote count was still underway. However, AK Party’s candidate, former prime minister Binali Yildirim declared his victory in Istanbul’s largest city.
President Erdogan addressed his supporters from Ankara after unofficial results came in from over 50 out of 81 provinces.
“The only reason why we lost some cities is that we could not express ourselves enough to some voters,” he said.
“If we have objections [with the electoral commission], we will raise them. Do not forget, every cloud has a silver lining. This is the struggle for democracy,” Erdogan said.
According to the YSK, voting started in 32 provinces at 0400 GMT and ended at 1300 GMT. In the remaining provinces, polling stations opened at 0500 GMT and closed at 1400 GMT.
More than 44 million Turkish citizens were expected to vote in 30 of the largest cities, the metropolitan municipalities. Another 12.8 million voters were estimated to cast their ballots in another 51 provinces.
Initial results for mayoral wins:
57. Istanbul
Governing Justice and Development (AK) Party’s mayoral candidate for Istanbul, Binali Yildirim, maintains a tight lead in the race.
Yildirim holds a half percent lead over the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul’s mayoral race, with 96% of the vote counted.
56. Ankara
CHP’s mayoral candidate Mansur Yavas in the capital Ankara won the majority of votes from the ballot box where AK Party candidate cast his vote.
Yavas pulls in 49.74 percent of the vote in Ankara with more than half the ballot boxes opened.
55. Izmir
CHP candidate Mustafa Tunc Soyer elected mayor of Izmir province.
54. Konya
AK Party candidate Ugur Ibrahim Altay takes Konya province.
53. Canakkale
Ulgur Gokhan, who was running from CHP’s ticket, wins in Canakkale province.
52. Diyarbakir
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) wins with candidate Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli.
51. Samsun
Justice and Development (AK) Party’s candidate Mustafa Demir elected mayor.
50. Sanliurfa
Zeynel Abidin Beyazgul, AK Party’s candidate, wins in the southern province.
49. Osmaniye
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) candidate Kadir Kara elected mayor of Osmaniye province.
48. Bolu
CHP’s candidate Tanju Ozcan wins in Bolu province.
47. Hakkari
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) candidate Cihan Karaman elected in the south-eastern province.
46. Mardin
Ahmet Turk, HDP’s candidate, wins in Mardin.
45. Sinop
CHP candidate Baris Ayhan elected mayor.
44. Kirsehir
Selahattin Ekicioglu, CHP’s candidate for Kirsehir, wins.
43. Batman
HDP candidate Mehmet Demir wins the province.
42. Kars
HDP’s Ayhan Bilgen elected mayor of Kars.
41. Kastamonu
MHP’s candidate Rahmi Galip Vidinlioglu elected mayor.
40. Tunceli
Communist Party of Turkey candidate Fatih Mehmet Macoglu wins mayoral polls in the eastern province.
39. Igdir
MHP candidate Isa Yasar Tezel elected mayor.
38. Kahramanmaras
Hayrettin Gungor from the AK Party elected mayor.
37. Adiyaman
AK Party’s Suleyman Kilinc elected mayor.
36. Corum
AK Party’s Halil Ibrahim Asgin elected mayor.
35. Bartin
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) candidate Cemal Akin elected mayor of Bartin province.
34. Trabzon
AK Party’s candidate Murat Zorluoglu wins in the northern coastal province.
33. Ordu
Mehmet Hilmi Guler wins the province from AK Party’s platform.
32. Aksaray
AK Party’s Evren Dincer elected mayor.
31. Kayseri
AK Party’s candidate Memduh Buyukkilic wins in Kayseri province.
30. Karabuk
MHP candidate Rafet Vergili elected in Karabuk province.
29. Duzce
AK Party candidate Faruk Ozlu elected mayor.
28. Erzurum
Mehmet Sekmen, candidate fielded by the governing AK Party, wins.
27. Siirt
HDP candidate Berivan Helen elected mayor in the eastern province.
26. Zonguldak
Justice and Development Party’s Omer Selim elected mayor.
25. Usak
AK Party’s Mehmet Cakin wins in Usak province.
24. Erzincan
MHP’s Bekir Aksun elected the province’s mayor.
23. Afyonkarahisar
The governing party’s Mehmet Zeybek elected mayor in Afyonkarahisar province.
22. Kirikkale
Mehmet Saygili, the AK Party candidate nabs Kirikkale.
21. Agri
Justice and Development (AK) Party candidate Savci Sayan elected mayor.
20. Gumushane
Ercan Cimen, the AK Party candidate, elected mayor.
19. Sakarya
AK Party’s Ekrem Yuce wins.
18. Nevsehir
AK Party candidate Rasim Ari elected in Nevsehir province.
17. Giresun
Justice and Development (AK) Party candidate Aytekin Senlikoglu takes Giresun province.
16. Karaman
MHP candidate Savas Kalayci elected mayor.
15. Bingol
AK Party’s candidate Erdal Arikan wins in Bingol.
14. Elazig
The governing party’s candidate Sahin Serifogullari elected mayor.
13. Malatya
AK Party’s Selahattin Gurkan elected mayor in Turkey’s Malatya province.
12. Burdur
CHP candidate Ali Orkun Ercengiz elected mayor of southwestern Burdur.
11. Ardahan
CHP’s Faruk Demir elected mayor of the north-eastern province.
10. Sirnak
AK Party candidate Mehmet Yarka wins the south-eastern Sirnak province.
9. Tokat
Justice and Development (AK) Party candidate Eyup Eroglu elected mayor.
8. Nigde
Justice and Development (AK) Party candidate Emrah Ozdemir wins Nigde.
7. Gaziantep
Justice and Development (AK) Party candidate Fatma Sahin elected mayor in Gaziantep.
6. Rize
AK Party’s candidate Rahmi Metin elected mayor of Black Sea province of Rize.
5. Bilecik
CHP’s candidate Semih Sahin elected mayor of Turkey’s northwestern Bilecik province.
4. Sivas
AK Party’s candidate Hilmi Bilgin has been elected mayor of central Sivas province.
3. Kilis
AK Party’s candidate Mehmet Abdi Bulut elected mayor of southern Kilis province in Turkey’s local elections.
2. Artvin
Main opposition CHP’s candidate Demirhan Elcin has been elected mayor of Turkey’s northeastern Artvin province.
1. Bitlis
AK Party’s candidate Nesrullah Tanglay has been elected mayor of eastern Bitlis province, Anadolu Agency reported, citing unofficial results.
This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly
