Who will rule in Ankara and Istanbul in the future? The local elections in Turkey are also a mood test for President Erdogan and his AKP. In the southeast, an argument ended fatally.
Two people were killed in a violent clash in the southeast of the country during local elections in Turkey. Disputes surrounding the election have escalated in the Kurdish metropolis of Diyarbakir as well as in the province of Siirt, the state news agency Anadolu reported. Eleven people were injured in Diyarbakir and four in Siirt.
During the clashes, those involved attacked each other with firearms, stones and sticks. It is still unclear who exactly was involved in the incident. The pro-Kurdish party DEM (formerly HDP), which has strong support in the southeast, said when asked that it was investigating the incident.
Kurdish party DEM is under pressure
The election in the southeast is particularly important for the country’s Kurdish minority. The DEM party is under great pressure there. The pro-Kurdish party had won 65 mayoral positions under the name HDP in the last local elections – but the government in Ankara had the majority of politicians removed from office due to terrorism allegations and replaced by receivers. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the legal pro-Kurdish party of terrorist connections, which it rejects.
Erdogan hopes for Istanbul
Across the country, around 61 million people were called upon to elect mayors, local councilors and other local politicians. Voting took place in all 81 provinces of Turkey, with a particular focus on Istanbul. President Erdogan hopes to recapture the metropolis with a candidate from his AKP party. Istanbul is particularly important for Erdogan, where he was born and raised and was once mayor himself. However, the ruling mayor Ekrem Imamoglu from the opposition CHP party was recently slightly ahead in the polls. The first results are expected towards the evening.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the CHP wrested power in Istanbul from Erdogan’s AKP in 2019.
In the capital Ankara, polls predicted a victory for Mayor Mansur Yavas against the AKP’s Turgut Altinok, which has also sparked little enthusiasm among supporters. In southeastern Turkey, which is inhabited by many Kurds, the DEM is likely to win a majority in many municipalities, but it is questionable whether its victorious candidates will be able to take office or will be deposed again by the AKP.
High inflation
Voter turnout is traditionally high in Turkey, but this time the vote is taking place against a backdrop of high inflation. Observers say disappointed opposition supporters may choose to stay home because they doubt their vote will make a difference. But AKP supporters may also not vote in protest against the economic downturn, which is leaving many people struggling to pay for food, utilities and rent.