Turkey: Erdogan urges citizens to protect ballot boxes

By Sefa Mutlu

ANKARA (AA) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Saturday urged Turkish citizens to look after their votes.

In a Twitter post, Erdogan said: “On the election day, I invite you to look after your votes day and night, until the voting process is completed and handed to the Supreme Election Council.”

Sunday’s polls will mark the first local elections in Turkey under the new presidential government system, adopted in an April 2017 referendum.

Some 1,389 candidates will run in the elections which will see the participation of 12 political parties as well as independent candidates for 30 metropolitans, 51 provinces, 519 metropolitan districts, 403 districts, 386 towns.

The voters will also elect 50,236 mukhtars, including 32,046 for neighborhoods and 18,190 for villages, on Sunday.

Some 23,044 municipalities, 1,277 provincial councils, 128,172 elder councils, 73,506 members of elder councils will be elected, as well.

More than 1 million candidates of all the political parties will run in the elections.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit