Candidate strategy clarified: People's Alliance's metropolitan decision is set

Turkey will head to the polls for local elections on March 31, 2024. As political parties accelerate their efforts within the scope of local election preparations, the People's Alliance's candidate strategy has been clarified.

According to a report by Cumhuriyet, the People's Alliance, formed by the AKP and MHP, will enter the election with “joint candidates” in 30 metropolitan municipalities. 

In the meetings held by the delegations of both parties, it had been stated that, as in 2019, the AKP would support the MHP's candidates in Adana, Mersin, and Manisa, while the MHP would support the AKP's candidates in other metropolitan municipalities. 

However, in the latest negotiations, it is stated that Adana has been left to the AKP. It is expressed that the AKP conveyed during the talks that “there is a risk of losing Adana if the MHP fields a candidate according to the polls conducted,” and upon this, a decision was made between the two parties that “Adana would be left to the AKP, and an MHP candidate would be supported for the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality.” 

‘YÖRÜK TURKMEN’ DETAIL

It is pointed out that in the negotiations, it was decided that in return for the MHP supporting the AKP's candidate in Adana, the AKP would support the MHP's candidate in Muğla. It is stated that there is a high probability of winning the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality, which is currently under CHP administration, due to the fact that “the MHP's electorate is larger than the AKP's electorate” in Muğla and the “influence of the Yörük Turkmens in the city.” 

3 NAMES STAND OUT

Following his party's Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK) meeting the other day, Erdoğan met with his party's Ankara deputies and district mayors. According to the information obtained, Erdoğan requested three name suggestions for the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and district mayoralties during the meeting. It is stated that the names of former Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, Keçiören Mayor Turgut Altınok, and AKP Ankara Provincial Chairman Hakan Han Özcan stood out among the names provided by the deputies and district mayors. 

TWO NEW DISTRICTS

On the other hand, details of the cooperation regarding district mayoralties in Ankara have also begun to emerge in the meetings between the AKP and MHP delegations. In Ankara, the mayoralties of Polatlı, Etimesgut, and Gölbaşı are under MHP administration. It is stated that in the negotiations, the AKP will “support the MHP's candidate” in the Kalecik and Elmadağ districts in addition to these three districts already under MHP administration.

News Source: 12punto