Russian national becomes candidate for Turkey elections

By Mustafa Kurt

ANTALYA, Turkey (AA) - A Russian national announced on Wednesday that she will run as an independent mayoral candidate in the upcoming local elections slated on March 31 in Turkey.

Petrova Cetinkaya told reporters that she will run from Alanya district of Turkey’s Mediterranean province Antalya.

The 35-year-old business and project development expert said that she came to Alanya in 2010 and loved Turkey’s tourist hub.

Cetinkaya said that she became a Turkish citizen a year ago.

She said that she was very keen to turn Alanya, known to be a hotspot especially for Russian tourists, into a bigger attraction.

Cetinkaya said that being a Russian national was not a disadvantage in the elections.

“We will work for Alanya,” she said, adding they have over 40 projects planned for the resort district.

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 Justice and Development (AK) Party clinch more than 45.5 percent of the vote.