Investigated District Election Council Chairs to be on Duty in İstanbul Election Rerun as Well

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The Supreme Election Council (YSK) has ruled that the district election council chairs and electoral directors, who were previously investigated by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for having formed the balloting committees in March 31 local election in an unlawful manner, shall also be on duty in İstanbul Metropolitan Mayoral election rerun on June 23.

Şişli 1st District Election Council consulted with the YSK as to whether the investigated district electoral directors could be considered eligible to be on duty in repeat Metropolitan Mayoral election in İstanbul. Reviewing the petition of the district election council, the YSK has answered that there has been no changes with regards to the issue.

'Some balloting committees were unlawfully formed'

In the petition sent to the YSK by Şişli Electoral Director Hatice Çelebi, the Council was reminded that it annulled the İstanbul Metropolitan Mayoral elections on May 6 on the ground that some balloting committees in the city were formed in an unlawful manner.

The petition also referred to some news which informed the public that "the district electoral directors who formed balloting committees in an unlawful manner deposed to the Prosecutor's Office as suspects."

In its response, the YSK cited the Circular Letter on the Execution of Electoral Directorate Services and said, "It has been ruled that at this stage, there are no actions to be taken for a change in duties of district election council chairs, electoral directors and other electoral personnel for the İstanbul Metropolitan Mayoral elections to be held on June 23, 2019."

What did the YSK's justified ruling say?

In the justified ruling of the YSK on the annulment of İstanbul elections, it was emphasized that the district election councils did not form the balloting committees from civil servants without showing any reasonable and legal justifications, which, in turn, eliminated the reliability of the elections.

CLICK - YSK Announces Justified Ruling on Annulment of İstanbul Elections

Reiterating that the number of voters who cast votes in 754 ballot boxes, whose committee chairs were determined in an unlawful manner, was 212 thousand 276 and reminding that the margin of votes between the top two candidates was 13 thousand 729, the justified ruling concluded that this situation had a considerable impact on the election results. (TP/SD)