İstanbul Election Cancellation: Who Said What?

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The verdict has rapidly become a hot topic in Turkey's Twittersphere, with all the trending topics being on İstanbul's repeat election as of 9.30 p.m. (GMT+3).

While opposition supporters use the hashtags #SatılmışYSK (YSK is sold) and quoting İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's speech right after the YSK announcement, #herşeyçokgüzelolacak (Everything will be fine), pro-government hashtags said #AdaletYeriniBuldu (Justice is served). 

Politicians, journalists, and lawyers also took to Twitter to comment on the repeat elections on June 23.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Mehmet Bekaroğlu said, "YSK is said to ruled for a repeat election for the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality. This is a disgrace. This is the murder of the law. The democracy of Turkey has taken a big blow."

YSK’nın İBB seçimlerinin yenilenmesi kararı aldığı bildiriliyor. Bu bir rezalettir, hukukun katlidir... Türkiye demokrasisi büyük bir darbe almıştır.

— Mehmet Bekaroğlu (@MBekaroglu) 6 Mayıs 2019

Mahmut Tanal, another CHP MP, said, "YSK has become an accomplice in the killing of the law by ruling for the cancellation of İstanbul elections upon the request by the AKP (the ruling Justice and Development Party). This verdict is a black mark in the history of the politics and the law. How will the judges who took this decision will look at their children's face? Dollar has also spiked. We will win again!"

YSK, AKP’nin talebi doğrultusunda İstanbul seçimlerini iptal ederek hukuk cinayetine ortak olmuştur. Alınan bu karar, siyaset ve hukuk tarihine kara bir leke olarak geçmiştir. Bu karara imza atan hakimler, çocuklarının yüzlerine nasıl bakacaklar. Dolarda fırladı.YİNE KAZANACAĞIZ

— Av.Mahmut TANAL (@MTanal) 6 Mayıs 2019

Mansur Yavaş, the Mayor of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality from the CHP, tweeted, "Justice will also be served in İstanbul!" mentioning İmamoğlu.

Kati Piri, the Turkey rapporteur of the European Parliament, said, "Erdogan does not accept defeat and goes against the will of the people. AKP pressured YSK to re-run local elections in Istanbul. This ends the credibility of democratic transition of power through elections in Turkey."

İstanbul'da da hak yerini bulacak!@ekrem_imamoglu

— Mansur Yavaş (@mansuryavas06) 6 Mayıs 2019

Lawyer Efkan Bolaç commented on the reason of the YSK verdict, asked, "The reason is that those who were in the ballot councils are not public officers. So, who forms the ballot councils? If there is an irregularity, who did this in which elections?"

Constitutional lawyer Osman Can said, "YSK was the last institution and the judicial process to be trusted. And they were made collapsed. For what?"

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Garo Paylan said, "İstanbul elections have been canceled. Another nail to the coffin of democracy..."

Journalist Banu Güven said, "YSK did the legally impossible, canceled the elections in İstanbul. Now they should think about the rest. Legitimacy can' be harmed more than this. Ekrem İmamoğlu passed a very important exam successfully, he will do the same again with the network of the party organizations and a voluntary network.

HDP İstanbul MP and journalist Ahmet Şık briefly said, "May 6, 2019, a coup was done in Turkey, again."

6 Mayıs 2019, Türkiye’de yine darbe oldu.

— ahmet şık (@sahmetsahmet) 6 Mayıs 2019

Meral Danış Beştaş, another HDP MP, pointing that the repeat election will not be held in İstanbul districts where AKP mostly won, said, "In all across Turkey, and in all districts of İstanbul, everything regular, but not in the Metropolitan Municipality!"

Journalist Kadri Gürsel commented, "The government, by means of the YSK, hijacked the election that it lost. This is "running away while raising hand". İstanbul may be paved with gold for them and they may value this gold more than their legitimacy. But the gold would not be enough to buy the legitimacy they lost."

What did pro-AKP figures say?

AKP Deputy Chair Cevdet Yılmaz tweeted, "YSK made its verdict. The nation will say the last word. YSK did not ruled on who is the winner, it presented an opportunity for the people to declare their will in an indisputable and unquestionable way.

Journalist Kenan Kıran mentioned former President and AKP member Abdullah Gül and said, "The trick failed."

Cengiz Alğan, a pro-AKP social media figure, said, "Now this is the time for the more important job: Finding the gang who made an operation at the ballot boxes and punishing them."

Journalist Cemil Barlas made a similar comment, saying, "What will be the penal aspect of the irregularity that made election canceled... This is what I wonder."

Markar Esayan, a journalist and a former AKP MP said, "Justice has been served." (AÖ/VK)