İmamoğlu: Truths Come Out Sooner or Later; Yıldırım: Result Can Change

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Making another statement for the press after the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) has updated its data on local elections, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and İYİ Party for the Metropolitan Mayorship of İstanbul, has made another statement for the press and stated that there is a net margin of 25 thousand 158 votes between himself and Binali Yıldırım, the candidate of the People's Alliance.

Anadolu Agency stopped updating its data on local elections in İstanbul as of 11.21 p.m. yesterday (March 31). With an update made at 1.10 p.m. today, İstanbul was shown in red on the map published on the website of the agency, indicating that İmamoğlu is leading.

CLICK - AA Declares CHP Ahead in İstanbul After 13-Hour Silence

'There are 16 ballot boxes left'

Here are some highlights from İmamoğlu's speech:

"The net margin between us and our rival is 25 thousand and 158.

"It is also very precious in the name of democracy that the YSK [Supreme Election Council] has announced the results that it has entered. I am extending my heartfelt thanks to the YSK.

"With the last entry of the YSK, there are 16 ballot boxes left. We have received 4 million 168 thousand 546 votes and our rival has received 4 million 142 thousand 791.

"We have also entered our results into the system based on the minutes with wet signature. YSK has been showing results in the same way. It is important that the results that we put forward are also approved by YSK.

Criminal complaint against the AA

"They talk about 290 thousand invalid votes. It is also possible, it is also within the bounds of possibility. Our request is that the process be completed as soon as possible. With the authorization that we have got, we want to take office as soon as possible."

Referring to the data update made by the AA, İmamoğlu has said, "İstanbul has finally been shown in red in the data of the AA. The truths come out sooner or later." İmamoğlu has also added that they have filed "a verbal criminal complaint against the AA."

'Over 250 thousand invalid votes still counted'

Binali Yıldırım, the People's Alliance's c<ndidate for the Metropolitan Mayorship of İstanbul, has also made a statement for the press regarding the unofficial results of the local elections in İstanbul.

Yıldırım has stated that the margin between himself and İmamoğlu is 25 thousand and added, "Invalid votes, which are ten and a half times higher than the margin, are still being counted."

Binali Yıldırım has continued as follows:

"It is an important detail. There are also some election safety violations, some faulty entries apart from that. Our friends in the party organization and ballot box committees have detected them.

"Our dear provincial chair will make a detailed examination on what happened in this process based on examples. Let me tell you what will happen next: Without a doubt, whoever receives the certificate of election will become the mayor. We know to extend our congratulations, but we had better state that the process is still continuing.

"Dear İmamoğlu is leaving one point missing, I think that it would be good to complete this missing point. The margin in the 2014 local elections was 660 thousand votes. In other words, if you give all cancelled votes to the losing side, he or she would still not be the mayor.

"However, here, the number of cancelled votes is ten and a half times higher than the margin. As you would also appreciate, it can change the result." (PT/AS/SD)