Turkey’s main opposition appeals to top board for cancellation of Ankara vote

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) appealed to the country’s top election authority April 6, asking for the cancellation of results of the contested local elections in the capital city of Ankara. “The will of Ankara’s people does not accurately reflect in the ballot boxes. We expect the YSK [Supreme Election Board] to impartially assess this situation and decide for a repeat of the election,” the CHP’s nominee for Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, Mansur Yavaş, said at a press conference. Yavaş, accompanied by CHP deputies, held the press conference at a hotel across from the YSK, while a huge crowd waited outside the hotel in show of support for him. “We are after each and every vote. If the YSK rejects our appeal, we will take the issue to the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights,” Yavaş said. The CHP has insistently claimed the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rigged the race’s result on March 30, where the AKP incumbent claimed a narrow victory. The provincial board in Ankara rejected the CHP’s appeal for a recount on April 4. As of April 5, Ankara’s incumbent mayor of the ruling AKP, Melih Gökçek, was granted “mayoral mandate” by the president of the provincial election board at a reception held at the Ankara Courthouse. At the same ceremony, AKP Deputy Chair Salih Kapusuz bestowed Gökçek with a belt which reads: “Ankara’s Chief Wrestler Melih Gökçek.”