Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) on Monday unanimously turned down an application by opposition parties the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the İyi (Good) Party to cancel the results and re-run all segments of the local İstanbul elections instead of only the mayoral race as its decision ordered.
In their appeal the İyi Party and CHP asked the YSK to either reverse its decision on May 6 to cancel the results of the İstanbul mayoral election or extend the scope of its decision to include districts and city councils as well.
The YSK’s decision was made upon applications by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) due to alleged irregularities concerning the assignment of polling station officials.
The cancelation, however, was limited to the mayoral election, which drew criticism from opposition politicians, who pointed out the inconsistency since the same polling clerks monitored all the ballot boxes.
The YSK also rejected the same parties’ application for cancellation of the general and presidential elections held in 2018 because some of the same polling stations officials served in those elections, too.
Commenting on the YSK’s Monday decision, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said the council’s decision did not come as a surprise.
“They [the YSK] say there were mistakes at the polling stations. Even primary school children would not believe in this,” Kılıçdaroğlu said as he spoke to reporters after a visit to İyi Party leader Meral Akşener.
