Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
The decision by Turkey's Supreme Election Council (YSK) to hold a do-over election for Istanbul after annulling the results of the March 31 local polls is "an important step to strengthen Turkey's democracy," said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday.
'We sincerely believe organized corruption, utter lawlessness and irregularity occurred in the Istanbul elections,' said Erdoğan.
Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) on Monday announced that a do-over election in Istanbul will be held on June 23.
The council members accepted the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's objection to the local election results in Istanbul with seven votes in favor and four against.
According to the YSK, the decision was taken as some presiding officers and polling staffs, who are supposed to be civil servants as per Turkish law, served during the elections.
The YSK has decided to file a criminal complaint against the chairman and members of the district election council, election managers and other persons responsible for appointing polling staffs unlawfully.
The mayoral certificate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party's (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu has also been cancelled by the council.
Millions of Turkish voters cast their votes nationwide on March 31 in local elections to choose mayors, city council members, and other officials for the next five years.
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