Following the local elections held on 31 March 2019, a decision on the objection process regarding the election results of some districts in Istanbul and that of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has been made. 37 days after the elections, the Turkish Supreme Election Council (YSK) decided to cancel and re-run elections in Istanbul, following Justice and Development Party's extraordinary appeal. YSK justifies its decision stating that “there were around 225 illicit heads of balloting committee and 3,500 balloting committee members that were not civil servants”.

“Since some balloting committees were constituted by district election boards contrary to the law, having affected the election results, it is decided by the majority of votes that the 31 March 2019 Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality election is to be cancelled and re-run, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Certificate of Election is to be revoked, the new Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality election is to be held on 23 June 2019, and allegations are to be made against those who carried out appointments of balloting committee members unlawfully”.

In line with this decision, Republican Peoples Party and Good Party's candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu’s certificate of election is now invalid and the elections will be held again on 23 June 2019. Until this date, the Governor of Istanbul Ali Yerlikaya will be acting as the Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

International Response

YSK’s decision also echoed in the international arena. Both the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn stated that YSK’s decision shall be open to public oversight and that ensuring a free, fair and transparent election process is crucial not only for Turkey-EU relations, but also for all democracies. The statements reminded that election boards’ operating under independent, open, and transparent circumstances and abiding by international election norms and standards are important for the credibility of the process and called for YSK to invite the Congress for Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, as well as international observers to the upcoming elections.

It was also noted that YSK’s actions invalidating some mayorships and municipality council members and giving certificates of election to those candidates who came in second were contradictory to the primary goal of democratic election process.

Secretary General of the Council of Europe, of which Turkey is a member, Thorbjorn Jagland’s spokesman also released a brief statement on Twitter: “The necessary conditions for free and fair elections must be verified prior to the Election Day – and not afterwards. The decision of the Supreme Electoral Council has the potential to severely damage the trust of the Turkish voters in the electoral authorities.”

Statements regarding Reactions from Europe

Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement in response to the international reactions. The statement called for respect for the decision of YSK and stated the following:

“The 31 March local elections were observed by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the delegation expressed that they were impressed by the competence of the Supreme Board of Elections.

The same Supreme Electoral Council assessed and resolved the objections, which were raised by means of legal rights, related to various provinces and districts. While the Supreme Electoral Council rejected some of these objections, decided to re-run elections in Istanbul. Everyone should respect this decision taken in accordance with the law. We do not accept political criticisms made by some foreign interlocutors regarding the decision and the Supreme Electoral Council.

Turkey is a country that has proved its democratic maturity, the decision of the independent Supreme Electoral Council is intended to ensure the unwavering manifestation of the will of voters. "

Presidential Communication Director Fahrettin Altun also made a statement on the subject. In his statement, Altun indicated that YSK’s decision was a victory for Turkish democracy, and called for the necessary measures to be taken to prevent any problems in the election to be held on 23 June:

“The decision of the Board on the re-run of the Istanbul elections should be seen as an effort to make the election results reflect the national will accurately. The decision given in this framework is a victory for our democracy. In addition, we are also confident that our justice system will hold accountable all individuals and organisations that violated electoral laws during this process.

All parties should take the necessary measures to ensure that similar problems do not occur in the 23 June elections. Whatever the result, elections must be conducted in line with our laws and procedure. In case of a departure from the rules, there will be question marks about the legitimacy of the elected people and the foundations of our democracy will be weakened. The Republic of Turkey, which has held fair and free elections for seventy years, will continue to complete the process in a transparent and proper way.”