Opposition alliance barred from using name on ballot papers in 16 provinces

The phrase "Nation's Alliance" (Millet İttifakı) will not appear on ballot papers in 16 provinces.

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Turkey's election authority has decided that the main opposition Nation's Alliance cannot use its name on ballot papers in 16 provinces, where only one party will represent the alliance in the dual polls on May 14.

The decision, which was made with a 4-3 vote, comes after the parties applied to the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to include the alliance name in the papers.

Due to a recent amendment to the electoral law changing the method of calculating the number of MPs to be distributed to the parties, allied parties have chosen to merge their candidate lists in many provinces in order to maximize the number of seats they can win.

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The Nation's Alliance, which comprises six parties, will run under two lists, with only the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Good (İYİ) Party having submitted candidate lists. In nine provinces, only the CHP will compete in the name of the alliance, with the İYİ Party in six provinces.

These changes come ahead of the parliamentary and presidential elections to be held on May 14, where the Nation's Alliance and its candidate, Kılıçdaroğlu, are the main rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who seeks to extend his two-decade rule.

Twenty-six parties will compete for the 600 seats in the parliament. Half of the parties will run under five alliances while the other half will run individually.

The ruling People's Alliance seeks to maintain the parliamentary majority against the two major opposition alliances — the Nation's Alliance and the Labor and Freedom Alliance. (AÖ/VK)