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The Supreme Election Council (YSK) has rejected an application by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for a third recount in the district of Maltepe in İstanbul.
Overturning the verdict of cancellation of all recounts by the 1st and the 2nd District Election Councils in Maltepe, YSK ruled that all the recounts that were conducted up to now shall be valid.
The councils will continue recounting the remaining ballot boxes.
YSK also gave authority to the district elections councils to form new terminals to speed up the recounts.
What happaned in Maltepe?After the local elections were held on March 31, 2019, AKP raised an objection in Maltepe, İstanbul, demanding that the votes cast in the district be counted again. On the 10th day of the recounting, the members of the AKP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) intervened in the recounting process. Judges and clerks were threatened after the Maltepe District Election Council decided to increase the number of balloting committees from 12 to 22 so that the votes could be counted more quickly. The District Election Council took down a minute regarding the incident. And yesterday (April 14), the recounting of votes halted upon the rejection of polling clerks of AKP and MHP to sign the minutes. After the AKP raised an extraordinary objection, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) revoked the decision of the District Election Council to increase the number of balloting committees. The number of balloting committees has now decreased from 12 to two. With the decision of the YSK, the recounting of votes undertaken by 10 additional balloting committees were deemed invalid. After there remained 175 ballot boxes to recount, the recounting has stopped. Accordingly, the recounting of votes already done in over 400 ballot boxes has been cancelled. Maltepe Election Councils have decided that no additional counting terminal be established to speed up the process. Making a statement on the issue, CHP Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu has announced that they have objected to the decision of the YSK. Former CHP MP Barış Yarkadaş also posted a tweet at 7.15 p.m. yesterday and stated that 913 of 1,089 ballot boxes in Maltepe had been counted. After the recounting stopped, Yarkadaş also announced that the CHP objected to the decision." |
(AS/VK)
