Info You Need To Know About Turkey’s Local Elections 2019

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According to election regulations, local polls in Turkey are held every five years.

Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming elections:

1. How many political parties are taking part?

A total of 12 political parties will participate in the local elections.

The major parties are the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Good (IYI) Party, and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Also taking part are the Independent Turkey Party (BTP), Grand Unity Party (BBP), Democrat Party (DP), Democratic Left Party (DSP), Saadet (Felicity) Party, Communal Democracy Party (TDP), and Patriotic (Vatan) Party.

2. How do elections work in larger cities?

Voters living in Turkey’s larger cities, called metropolitan municipalities, will vote to elect a mayor for the entire city, as well as district municipal mayors, city council members, mukhtars (neighborhood officials), and members of elder councils.

Turkey has 30 metropolitan municipalities, including the capital Ankara and Istanbul, the city where nearly one in five Turkish citizens live, as well as Adana, Antalya, Aydın Balıkesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Trabzon and Van

3. How do elections work in smaller cities?

Voters living in smaller cities will elect members of provincial general councils, mayors, city council members, and mukhtars and members of elder councils.

4. How do elections work in villages?

Voters living in villages will elect members of provincial general councils, mukhtars, and members of elder councils.

5. Which votes will be counted first?

In metropolitan municipalities, the counting process will start with ballots for metropolitan mayors, district municipality mayors, city councils, and mukhtars.