Supreme Election Council Rejects Objection Against Voting of Discharged People

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The Supreme Election Council (YSK) has rejected the objection of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which previously applied to the YSK, alleging that it is not legal for the ones discharged by statutory decrees during the State of Emergency to cast votes.

The Council has also announced its ruling on the allegation of the AKP regarding voters under legal disability. The YSK has ruled that 41 thousand 132 voters shall be investigated in relation with the AKP's allegation.

The ruling of the YSK has been shared with the public by Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Aykut Erdoğdu, who posted the following message on his Twitter account: "The YSK has ruled that those discharged by statutory decrees are eligible to vote."

Today's session began at 11 a.m.

The YSK is still evaluating the objections raised by political parties against the local elections in İstanbul. The Council discussed the request for cancellation of elections in İstanbul previously raised by the AKP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) yesterday (April 22).

This meeting lasted for five hours and AKP's representative to the YSK Recep Özel made a presentation for two and a half hours.

As for today's session, it began at 11 a.m.

Objections of the AKP and MHP

In the 44-page petition of extraordinary objection submitted by the AKP to the Council, it is alleged that the vote counting tables were without a seal, the votes were deliberately shifted, there were missing voting papers, voters under legal disability cast votes and irregularities were committed while balloting committees were formed.

Appealing to the YSK for the cancellation of local elections in İstanbul, the AKP also submitted a supplementary petition where the names of the ones discharged from public service by statutory decrees were listed.

Applying to the Council after the AKP, the MHP also requested that the elections held for the Metropolitan Mayorship of İstanbul and Maltepe District Mayorship be cancelled and re-elections be held.

Discharged mayor-elects could not take office

After the local elections came to an end on March 31, an objection was raised at the YSK, indicating that some mayor-elects were previously discharged from public service by statutory decrees.

Consulting with the provincial election councils regarding these objections, the YSK ruled on April 11 that the candidates discharged by statutory decrees shall not be granted their certificates of elections.

The decision of the YSK applied to six districts, where the candidates of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) won the elections and those of the ruling AKP came second. In all of these towns and districts, certificates of election have been given to AKP's candidates.

(TP/SD)