Turkish opposition agrees on local election alliance

By Esin Isik

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s opposition parties agreed to support each other’s candidates at 49 metropolitan and provincial municipalities across Turkey for local elections slated in March.

The Nation Alliance, which includes the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Good (IYI) Party will be cooperating at 22 metropolitan municipalities and 27 provincial municipalities.

During the election, the CHP will be supported at 12 metropolitan municipalities and 16 provincial municipalities while IYI Party will be backed at 10 metropolitan municipalities and 11 provincial municipalities.

Turkey has a total of 30 metropolitan municipalities and 51 provincial municipalities.

As part of the alliance, CHP’s candidates in Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydin, Eskisehir, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Malatya, Mugla and Tekirdag will be supported by IYI Party.

In Balikesir, Kocaeli, Gaziantep, Denizli, Kayseri, Konya, Manisa, Sakarya, Samsun and Trabzon, the IYI Party candidates will be supported by the CHP.

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) are supporting each other’s candidates in some districts and provinces.

Turkish local polls are held every five years to elect mayors of 1,398 municipalities across the country. Among them are municipalities in 81 provinces, including 30 metropolitan municipalities and 921 districts.

Along with metropolitan, provincial and district mayors, voters will also elect municipal council members in cities and -- in rural areas -- mukhtars and members of elder councils.

The last local elections were held on March 30, 2014, which saw AK Party clinch more than 45.5 percent of the vote.