15 days left until local elections: How will the calendar work?

There are 15 days left until the General Local Administration Elections to be held on Sunday, March 31, 2024.

The process regarding the election is proceeding in accordance with the Supreme Election Council's (YSK) election calendar.

The order of the parties on the ballot in the election, in which 34 political parties will participate, is as follows:

"AKP 1, IYI Party 2, Left Party 3, Great Unity Party 4, Homeland Party 5, Motherland Party 6, Democratic Left Party 7, New Welfare Party 8, Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) 9, Communist Party of Turkey 10, Anatolia Union Party 11, Victory Party 12, People's Liberation Party 13, Communist Movement of Turkey 14, Independent Turkey Party 15, Future Party 16, New Turkey Party 17, CHP 18, Labor Party 19, HUDA PAR 20, Rights and Freedoms Party 21, Ocak Party 22, Justice Unity Party 23, Democrat Party 24, Power Union Party 25, Nation Party 26, National Path Party 27, Justice Party 28, Bright Democracy Party 29, MHP 30, Workers' Party of Turkey 31, Democracy and Progress Party 32, Felicity Party 33, Patriotic Party 34."

MOST CANDIDATES IN ISTANBUL

Within the scope of the YSK's election calendar, political parties and independent candidates submitted their candidacy applications to the relevant provincial and district election boards by the end of business on Tuesday, February 20.

As a result of the review, the final candidate lists were announced by the provincial and district election boards on Sunday, March 3.

With 49 candidates, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality became the municipality where the most candidates will compete. Of these candidates, 22 will participate in the election as political parties and 27 as independents.

Istanbul will be followed by Gaziantep with 29 candidates and Malatya with 28 candidates. 3 of the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality mayoral candidates will enter the election as independents, while 5 of the Malatya Metropolitan Municipality mayoral candidates will enter as independents.

For the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, 24 candidates, 19 of whom are from political parties and 5 of whom are independent, will compete.

FREEDOM OF PROPAGANDA AND CERTAIN ELECTION BANS WILL BEGIN ON MARCH 21

According to the YSK's calendar, one of the important dates in the process leading up to the election will be Thursday, March 21. On this date, freedom of propaganda and certain election bans will begin.

Election propaganda will end at 18:00 on Saturday, March 30, and election bans will end at 23:59 on March 31.

During this period, political parties and independent candidates participating in the election will be able to conduct verbal, written, or visual propaganda through advertisements in the written press or by opening websites until the end of the election propaganda period.

During the election period, it will be prohibited to conduct collective verbal propaganda on public roads, in places of worship, in buildings and facilities where public services are provided, and outside of the squares designated by district election boards.

It is also prohibited to conduct collective verbal propaganda in open spaces from the end of the second hour after sunset until sunrise.

Propaganda cannot be conducted by sending messages to citizens' email addresses or by sending voice, video, or written messages to their mobile or landline phones. However, political parties will always be able to send voice, video, or written messages to their own members.

In the 10-day period before the voting day, it will be prohibited to publish or distribute in any way, through written, verbal, and visual media and broadcasting tools, public opinion polls, surveys, forecasts, or information and communication phones, under names such as mini-referendums, in favor of or against a political party or candidate, or in a way that influences the vote of the citizen.

Election propaganda and trips by ministers and members of parliament within the country cannot be carried out with official cars or vehicles allocated for official service. During these trips, welcoming and farewell ceremonies required by protocol cannot be held, and official banquets cannot be given.

No civil servant may participate in the trips of ministers, members of parliament, and candidates within the scope of election propaganda.

POLLS WILL OPEN ON MARCH 31

The distribution of voter information slips, which began on Thursday, February 29, will be completed on Sunday, March 24. Voters will not be required to bring their information slips with them.

Voters will be able to check where and at which ballot box they will vote on the YSK website, via the e-Government portal, the YSK Voter Inquiry Mobile Application, or by calling the YSK Call Center at "444 9 975".

On March 28, the lists regarding prisoners and those convicted of negligent crimes will be finalized.

Turkey will go to the polls on March 31.

VOTING HOURS

Due to the fact that the election is in March, the YSK has moved the voting hours forward by one hour in 32 eastern provinces, taking into account seasonal conditions and sunset times.

Accordingly, voting hours will be applied as 07:00-16:00 in Adıyaman, Ağrı, Artvin, Bingöl, Bitlis, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzincan, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gümüşhane, Hakkari, Kars, Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Mardin, Muş, Ordu, Rize, Siirt, Sivas, Trabzon, Tunceli, Şanlıurfa, Van, Bayburt, Batman, Şırnak, Ardahan, Iğdır, and Kilis, as well as in penal institutions located in these provinces.

In other provinces, votes will be cast between 08:00-17:00.

News Source: AA