Erdogan's AKP Demands Formal Rerun Of Istanbul Vote

Istanbul, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Apr, 2019 ) :Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party on Tuesday formally demanded a rerun of Istanbul's local ballot after contesting last month's election results that gave the opposition the victory.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) got most votes nationwide in the March 31 election but its loss of the capital Ankara and Istanbul, the country's economy hub, was a major setback after a decade and half in power.

The AKP had demanded a recount and vowed to appeal for a new vote in Istanbul, citing alleged irregularities, after the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) won the city by a slim margin.

The Supreme Electoral Council, known by its Turkish initials YSK, must now rule on whether the AKP's formal demand for a new election has any merit.

"We have come here to submit our extraordinary request for the election for the Istanbul metropolitan municipality to be annulled and repeated," AKP deputy chief Ali Ihsan Yavuz told reporters outside the YSK.

Local media showed images of AKP officials wheeling suitcases containing what they said was evidence of electoral irregularities into the YSK headquarters in Ankara.

It was unclear how long YSK officials could take to rule on the appeal, but lingering uncertainty over the Istanbul result more than two weeks after the ballot is one factor worrying foreign investors and weighing on the lira.

A new Istanbul election would be held in June 2 if the appeal is recognised, according to local media.

A recount of void ballots in Istanbul is still ongoing after the AKP said it found irregularities in several districts.

Opposition candidate CHP Ekrem Imamoglu has accused the AKP of "unfair play" and declared himself mayor. But the margin between him and the AKP's Binali Yildirim remains very tight.