Leader of Turkey's nationalist movement talks on repeating municipal elections in Istanbul

By  Trend

The leader of the Nationalist Movement Party of Turkey (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, did not rule out repeating the municipal elections in Istanbul, Trend reports via Turkish media.

Bahceli noted that repeating the municipal elections in Istanbul will help to resolve controversies on the results of the elections.

Regarding the victory of Mansur Yavas, the candidate from the People’s Republican Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), at the Ankara municipal elections, Bahceli noted that Yavas is not the head of the municipality for him.

This is while deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Ali Ihsan Yavuz said that the party demands holding of repeated municipal elections in Istanbul.

He said that the AKP has all facts proving that the election results were rigged.

“The AKP will very soon present all the facts of falsification of the election results in Istanbul,” he added.

The municipal election results in Istanbul were almost completely rigged, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.

He noted that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) appealed to the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to identify the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, the Justice and Development Party presented facts of falsification of 11,000 votes in Istanbul in favour of the candidate of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu.

Earlier, Bayram Senocak, head of the Istanbul branch of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated that the ruling party has evidence of the election results in Istanbul being falsified in favor of candidate of the opposition Republican People's Party Ekrem Imamoglu.

Imamoglu gained 4.159 million votes, while Yildirim got 4.131 million votes in Istanbul.

The coalition of the ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party gained 51.67 percent of votes in the municipal elections throughout the country.

Following the elections, candidate of the Republican People’s Party Mansur Yavas became mayor of Ankara.

Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections held March 31. These included the Felicity Party (SP), the Independent Turkey Party (Ba??ms?z Türkiye Partisi), the Communist Party of Turkey (Türkiye Komünist Partisi), the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), the Great Unity Party (Büyük Birlik Partisi), Free Cause Party (Hür Dava Partisi), Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalk?nma Partisi), Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi), Iyi Party (?Y? Parti), Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halklar?n Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti).