Turkey's local election decision becomes clear: A moment-by-moment account

As the votes cast in the ballot boxes continue to be counted, it is seen that the CHP is in the lead in many provinces. While citizens are closely following the developments, here is what has been happening moment by moment in politics:

Murat Kurum: We will accept the will of our nation as a milestone

AKP's Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) candidate Murat Kurum made a statement after the election results became clear and he lost the election race.

Stating, "We will accept the will of our nation at the ballot box as a milestone and continue to be in the field to address our shortcomings," Kurum continued as follows:

"May the election be auspicious for us all. I thank all our brothers and sisters who went to the polls, regardless of their party. May the election results be auspicious for us all. Let the people of Istanbul be assured that we will continue to work. We will work under the leadership of our fellow citizens. We will take into account and evaluate the message given by our nation. We will elevate our country to the level of contemporary civilizations desired by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. We will accept the will of our nation at the ballot box as a milestone and continue to be in the field to address our shortcomings."

İmamoğlu: The era of one-man tutelage has ended as of today

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu gave a speech in Saraçhane regarding the results of the March 31 local elections.

In his address to the gathered crowd, İmamoğlu used the expression, "The era of one-man tutelage has ended as of today."

İBB Mayor İmamoğlu included the following statements in his speech:

"There is no loser in this election; 16 million Istanbulites have won. Where we are, there is no 'other.' May it be auspicious for every member of the nation, every belief, all sects, and people of every ethnic origin. With this election, we have pushed aside many evils that have put this city under pressure. We have pushed aside the squandering of this city's money. A new culture has begun in this city. The nation's money has now become the nation's. What message did the public give to our rivals and to the President? You said to us, 'The era of waste in Istanbul is over. Partisanship is over. There is no partisanship, there is merit. There is populist municipalism.' This understanding will continue to win. The era in which equal and fair service reaches every Istanbulite will continue. Our nation told us to 'increase your speed.' Whatever message the public gave us by electing us, they also gave to the government. They will respect the choice made in serving Istanbul. They cannot establish tutelage. There is no Canal, there is Istanbul. One person does not give orders. The era of one-man tutelage has ended as of today. We said the nation always wins; the nation has won. The nation will continue to win. It will set sail for much better things. We accept what comes out of the ballot box as an order. Beyoğlu is now with us. Bayrampaşa, Beykoz, Çatalca, Silivri, Çekmeköy, Eyüpsultan, Sancaktepe, Tuzla, Şile, Üsküdar. We currently have districts where the competition continues. Fatih, Gaziosmanpaşa, and Pendik..."

Erdoğan: March 31 is not an end for us, but a turning point

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "March 31 is not an end for us, but a turning point."

Addressing citizens at the AK Party Headquarters while the vote count continued after the elections, President Erdoğan used the expression, "The nation speaks its word through the ballot box. The nation conveys its message to the politician through the ballot box. It is a great gain that the decision of the nation emerges without facing any pressure. March 31 is not an end for us, but a turning point."

Erdoğan: We did not get the results we wanted from the March 31 elections

Stating, "Regardless of the results, the winner is primarily our democracy, the national will. The winner has been our democracy before the candidates," Erdoğan said, "The March 31 elections are our 18th test in the last 22 years. Unfortunately, 9 months after our victory in the May 14-28 elections, we did not get the result we wanted in the local election test. As the AK Party and the People's Alliance, we prepared intensively for this election exam, just like the previous ones. The result turned out this way. There is a blessing in everything that happens."

Erdoğan: The results show that our party is losing altitude

Erdoğan stated, "The ballot boxes have closed, the nation has had its final say and made its decision. The Supreme Election Council will announce the results in the coming days. We will also evaluate the election results in our party's organs. We will make our self-criticism with courage. The ballot box results show us that we are losing altitude across the country. We will also put these results on the table. We will identify the reasons and make the necessary interventions. We will in no way show disrespect to our nation's decision. We will definitely take the necessary steps by weighing the messages given by the nation at the ballot box in the most accurate way on the scales of reason and conscience. We will continue to stay away from being stubborn with the nation and questioning the nation's appreciation, as we have done until today. We have a period of 4 to 4.5 years ahead of us. We will correct our mistakes, address our shortcomings, and increase our right actions."

Doğu Perinçek: We won neighborhood headmanships (muhtarlık)

Vatan Party Chairman Doğu Perinçek, in his evaluation of the election results, said, "Thanks to the Vatan Party, cracks have begun to open in the walls of the system. We won neighborhood headmanships."

In his evaluation, Perinçek said, "The Vatan Party achieved the following successes in this election; the Vatan Party achieved significant successes in the neighborhood headmanship elections in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş, the neighborhood headmanship elections in the Divriği district of Sivas, the neighborhood headmanship elections in the Yüreğir district of Adana, and according to the latest information, in the neighborhood headmanship elections in the center of Uşak."

Erbakan: We won Şanlıurfa and Yozgat

New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi) Chairman Fatih Erbakan said, "According to the opened ballot boxes, the New Welfare Party has reached a 6 percent vote rate across Turkey, increased its votes by over 100 percent compared to May 14, and has become Turkey's third-largest party."

Furthermore, Erbakan stated, "We won the Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality and Yozgat. We have won 43 district and 24 town municipalities. We are the star of the election."

Statement from IYI Party regarding the 'Akşener's resignation' claim

It was reported that IYI Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener will hold a press conference tomorrow (April 1) regarding the election results.

In the statement made, it was stated that Akşener will hold a press conference tomorrow.

The statement continued, "Information and news other than this should not be relied upon."

It had been claimed on social media and some news sites that Akşener would resign.

Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu: "Love and goodness won"

Ekrem İmamoğlu's wife, Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, shared a photo taken with her husband on her X social media account and wrote, "Love and goodness won."

İmamoğlu: We are ahead by 1 million votes

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and CHP candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, in a statement he made while the vote count was ongoing, stated that they won the election with a margin of over one million votes against his rival.

Stating that he received 50 percent of the vote against the 39.5 percent vote rate received by his rival, the People's Alliance candidate Murat Kurum, İBB Mayor İmamoğlu said, "We will continue our duty in all 14 of our municipalities. In addition, based on the data we have obtained, we are about to win in 11 municipalities as well. I would like to convey that the process has not ended yet, that the minutes have not been delivered, and that it must be followed up in the strictest manner."

İmamoğlu also reported that the competition is neck-and-neck in some districts.

Turkey-wide results: CHP: 37.13, AK Party: 36.14

The rate of ballot boxes opened across the country reached 74.84 percent. Accordingly, the Turkey-wide vote rates received by the parties are as follows:

AK Party: 36.14

CHP: 37.13

DEM Party: 5.81

New Welfare: 5.80

MHP: 4.58

IYI Party: 3.61

CHP is ahead by 20 points in Adıyaman

In Adıyaman, one of the cities where the result of the March 31 local elections was most curious, 87.45 percent of the ballot boxes were opened.

Accordingly, CHP's mayoral candidate Abdurrahman Tutdere is in first place with 48.92 percent.

AK Party's candidate Ziya Polat is in second place with 27.91 percent, and the New Welfare Party is in third place with a 14 percent vote rate.

Turgut Altınok: Our citizen has made a decision, we respect it

The People's Alliance's Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidate Turgut Altınok said in a statement while the vote count was ongoing, "Our citizen has made a decision, we respect it, may it be auspicious."

Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders: Bye bye Erdoğan

Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) in the Netherlands, said "Bye bye" to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party in a post he made on the social media platform X.

In his message, Wilders included the following statements:

"Bye bye Recep Tayyip Erdogan and AK Party. Turkey wants secularism and freedom."

CHP candidate Lütfü Savaş took the lead in Hatay

In Hatay, Lütfü Savaş moved ahead of his AK Party rival Mehmet Öntürk. 59 percent of the ballot boxes in the city have been counted so far.

As of 22:40 TSI, Lütfü Savaş's vote was 43.84 percent, while Öntürk's vote rate was 43.36 percent.

Mansur Yavaş: Rent-seekers lost and social municipalism won in Ankara

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş said in a statement while the vote count was ongoing, "The loser of this election is Turgut Altınok, who ended his political life as a slanderer."

Stating, "Rent-seekers lost in Ankara and social municipalism won; we will account for every penny of the money we received from you," Yavaş continued his speech as follows:

"I will repeat the sentences I used in 2019. This is not a victory. Because this is not a war. Even if our view of the world is different, the election is over. We will take off our badges and continue to serve the people of Ankara. The loser of this election is Turgut Altınok, who ended his political life as a slanderer. In Ankara, rent-seekers lost, buildings lost, green won, zoning barons lost. Those who spend billions of liras on the public's health and those who will spend it have won. Dear people of Ankara, hearts beating for the homeland won. We will not remain silent while anyone goes to bed hungry. These election results draw a roadmap for all of us. If you stay away from polarization and run like a savior to those in trouble, that is how you get elected with a record vote."

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel: We are just beginning

While the vote count continued across Turkey, Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel made a statement at the CHP Headquarters.

In his evaluation regarding the vote rates, Özel said, "I thank everyone who stood up for our country with their votes today. Today, the voter decided on a new politics, to change the 22-year-old picture, and a new political climate. Today, the voter decided to balance the disproportionate power of the government from the local level."

Unable to hold back his tears during his speech, Özel evaluated, "This result is a contribution made to the Turkish economy."

The CHP leader continued as follows:

"Turkey's victory has been won. Our nation has not given passage to those who disturb its peace and has given a clear message. This message is as follows: We want our country to return as a state of law. We oppose discrimination. Our difference is our wealth."

'Transported voters' claim

Regarding the "transported voter" claim brought to the agenda by the DEM Party and for which other parties were asked to show reaction, Özel reacted with the words, "It is as bad an attempt as appointing trustees to those elected municipalities with voters transported to the East and Southeast. TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) personnel are not responsible for this shame. Whoever gave the order to try to use the Turkish Armed Forces has done a disservice to the social peace of this country."

Thanking the previous CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Özel said, "After the great sadness we experienced last May, we owe a lot to Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his delegates by showing that the Congress changed through election. We know that these election results will also make significant contributions to the government."

Saying "We are just beginning," Özel said, "The most important message of the success we achieved today is this: The CHP has broken the invisible 25 percent ceiling above its head and smashed it to pieces. I had said that I had a surprise for them against all the injustice and unfairness that TRT did to us. That surprise is that for the first time since 1977, the CHP is on their screen as the winning party. I ask you to experience your joy quietly. Those who look at us should feel humility, not arrogance. We are burying the longing for revenge inside us. Forget what was done to us. The March 31 elections showed that our populist municipalism understanding has won. The election results are a milestone because the CHP is now the party of every segment, every citizen. The CHP is no longer just on the coasts of the Aegean and the Mediterranean, it is in every part of Turkey."

Call for resignation to Meral Akşener from IYI Party's Bilge Yılmaz

IYI Party Economic Policies President Bilge Yılmaz announced that he resigned from his party. Yılmaz also invited Chairwoman Meral Akşener to resign.

Making a statement from his social media account, Yılmaz included the following statements:

"I invite IYI Party Chairwoman Ms. Meral Akşener to resign. We must start working from today so that our country can get rid of the bad and incompetent management of the AK Party government in the upcoming general elections. These results have shown that we have a lot of work to do, we have no time to lose. I am resigning from my position as IYI Party Economic Policies President in order to be able to focus on the work I will do in this direction."

Lütfü Savaş: Let the people of Hatay be at ease, we are winning

Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and Republican People's Party's Hatay candidate Lütfü Savaş said in a statement to Halk TV, "Let the people of Hatay be at ease, there is a perception (campaign), but we are winning."

News Source: 12punto