YSK Rejects AKP Appeal on Election Council Chairs

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Supreme Election Council (YSK) ruled on June 3 that the district election council chairs and electoral directors, who were previously investigated by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for having formed the balloting committees in March 31 local elections in an unlawful manner, shall also be on duty in the repeat elections for the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality June 23.

The YSK has turned town an appeal by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) today (June 12), stating that the authority of implementing administrative sanctions against the judges (election council chairs) is held by the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), hence it does not have a verdict to make on the appeal.

Irregularities regarding the formation of the balloting committees was the reason the YSK canceled the March 31 polls, which the opposition's candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu won.

What happened?

In the justified ruling of the YSK, it has been stated that a total of 93 thousand 558 public officers were needed to work in balloting committees in March 31 local elections and there were 220 thousand public officers in İstanbul available to be on duty on the day of election.

In the related part of the ruling, it has been further underlined that even though the main clause of the law has been violated by not appointing public officers at 2 thousand 333 ballot boxes across İstanbul and there was no reason to apply the exception clauses of the law in question, it has still not been considered to suffice in itself to annul the elections. (AS/VK)