* Photograph: Official Twitter account of Muharrem Erkek
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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has appealed to the Supreme Election Council (YSK) and requested that June 24, 2018 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections and March 31 Local Elections in 39 districts of İstanbul be annulled and repeat elections be held.
On May 6, 2019, the YSK ruled that İstanbul Metropolitan Mayoral Elections shall be annulled on the ground of irregularities allegedly committed while forming the balloting committees. The Council also announced that repeat elections would be held on June 23, 2019.
CLICK - Supreme Election Council Cancels İstanbul Local Elections
Submitting the application of the party to the YSK, CHP Vice Chair Muharrem Erkek has also made a statement for the press. Addressing the journalists, Erkek has announced that they have submitted an objection of absolute unlawfulness to the Election Council.
CLICK - CHP to Raise Objection of 'Absolute Unlawfulness' to YSK
Erkek has also made the following remarks:
'Related law amended at government's request'
"If you annul the İstanbul Metropolitan Mayoral Elections, then you also have to annul the local elections in 39 districts in İstanbul as well as June 24 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections.
"I want to put a particular emphasis on this: Amendments to the Law no. 298 [on Basic Provisions of Elections and Electoral Registers] were passed in the Parliament at government's request and entered into effect on March 13, 2018. Then, these two elections were held: Presidential and Parliamentary Elections on June 24 [2018] and March 31 Local Elections. If you say that local elections in İstanbul were shady and organized irregularities were committed there, then the same things happened on June 24 as well.
'Annul President Erdoğan's certificate of election'
"If something really happened, they also happened on June 24. If you say that the election of Ekrem İmamoğlu is dubious, then the election of [President] Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 24 is dubious as well. If an absolute unlawfulness arises, June 24 elections must be annulled as well.
"Votes were counted again after March 31. The result did not change. Then, new allegations were put forward. They said, 'There were voters under legal disability, people with mental disabilities, dead voters and fake voters.'
"At last, they said, 'People who are not public officers were on duty in balloting committees. They were also on duty on June 24. If it is the will of the law, then it also requires the annulment of June 24 elections. If the verdict on Dear İmamoğlu is right, then you also have to annul Dear Erdoğan's certificate of election. We did not put this forward, it was the YSK."
İYİ Party also appealed to the YSK
Shortly after the CHP, the İYİ Party, which run in the last two elections as Nation Alliance with the CHP, has also appealed to the Supreme Election Council and raised an objection of absolute unlawfulness. Accordingly, the party requested that local elections in İstanbul be annuled as a whole, including district municipal and municipal council elections. (AÖ/SD)
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