AKP Submits Petition of Extraordinary Objection and Requests Re-Election in İstanbul

* Photograph: Orhan Karslı – Ankara / AA

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Ali İhsan Yavuz, the Vice Chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) responsible for Electoral Affairs, made a statement for the press today (April 16) and announced that they have submitted a petition of extraordinary objection to the Supreme Election Council (YSK), requesting that local elections be cancelled and re-elections be held in İstanbul.

Authorities from the party went to the YSK building with three suitcases. Yavuz said, "There are documents of what we said in three suitcases."

'We claim that...'

Stating that the details of the objection will be shared with the public in a press conference to be held tomorrow, Yavuz said:

"The YSK previously stated that the elections ended in favor of Republican People's Party (CHP) by 28 thousand votes. The AK Party stated that the AK Party won the elections by 3 thousand 870 votes.

"We claim that if all votes had been counted or steps had been taken to eliminate the suspicions, our figures were correct and the elections would have ended in our favor.

"I saw that over 5 thousand counting tables were without a seal. There are voters shown as voters with prisons indicated as their primary addresses. Heaven knows why and how, over 5 thousand convicts cast votes without any annotations saying 'They cannot vote'."

'Extraordinary objection is not accepted before certificate of election is given'

Following the recounting of votes in Maltepe, İstanbul, former CHP MP Barış Yarkadaş has stated on Twitter:

"There are 78 ballot boxes left to be counted in Maltepe. As of 3.30 p.m., CHP's İmamoğlu is ahead of AKP's Yıldırım by 13 thousand 859 votes.

"Unable to change this fact by having all ballot boxes counted again for 16 days, the AKP is now trying to change it on the table with an extraordinary objection. The AKP cannot accept the will of the people."

"I took another look at the laws; the laws says that objection can be raised based on 'concrete evidence', not on suspicions. Moreover, 'extraordinary objection' is not accepted before the certificate of election is given." (AS/SD)