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Five days into İstanbul's mayoral election rerun, the political parties ramped up their efforts to make their supporters go to the polls on June 23 in what is expected to be a close contest between the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) Binali Yıldırım and the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which announced support for the opposition's candidate, has announced that it will cover the transportation expenses of the voters in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
HDP Diyarbakır Provincial Executive Edip Binbir said that they are making intense efforts to make the HDP voters who reside in İstanbul to cast their votes, speaking to the Mezopotamya Agency.
Saying that they will help the people of Diyarbakır and other provinces of the region who reside in İstanbul but came to their hometowns for the summer holiday, Binbir called the HDP supporters to need to apply at the party's provincial and district organizations.
While İstanbul is the largest city of Turkey with a population that exceeds 15 million, only 15 percent of them have their state registers in İstanbul, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Hence the population of the city decreases significantly in summer months when the schools are closed as many people go to their hometowns or holiday destinations.
The CHP meanwhile has announced that it will offer help to the sick, old and disabled people. The Kadıköy District Municipality in İstanbul launched a service what it calls "unobstructed transportation".
Shuttles of the municipality will work between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the election day. Health personnel will help old and sick people from their home to the polling stations, the municipality stated. (AÖ/VK)
