Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) has filed a lawsuit seeking the cancellation and resumption of municipal elections in Istanbul, more than two weeks after the election. Preliminary results show that the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) won narrowly in Turkey's largest city in municipal elections, ending 25 years of rule by the AKP and its Islamist predecessors.
Ruling party Vice President Ali Ihsan Yavuz has filed a lawsuit against the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) in Ankara over the cancellation and rerun of the election, presenting documents in three suitcases, CNN Turk reported. "We have come here to file our special appeal with a request to cancel the elections for the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul and to hold new elections," Yavuz said.
The AKP vice-president justified the appeal two weeks after the March 31 ballots, and while the recount process in Istanbul is nearing completion, arguing that the election was marred by "irregularities". Today, there are about 80 ballot boxes left for a recount in the Maltepe district, as announced by the CHP, which stressed that Ekrem Imamoglu's candidate is ahead by almost 14.000 votes of AKP candidate Binali Gildirim. If the appeal is upheld, repeat elections will be held on the first Sunday, 60 days after the initial election, on June 2nd. If rejected, the results will be considered final and the winner will officially take office.
- Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ.