Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik on Monday evening said his party would object to the election results in İstanbul due to alleged discrepancies they have detected.
“The data in İstanbul show there is some kind of discrepancy between the reported results and the results shown in official records. It is important that all voters’ ballots be reflected in the results, which is the honor of democracy,” Çelik said at a press conference in Ankara.
Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) on Monday announced that opposition alliance candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu won the election in İstanbul against the AKP’s Binali Yıldırım, who had claimed victory before the counting was finished and then acknowledged the YSK’s results.
“We have taken a stand against misinformation, and we do claim our votes. Of course other parties will also claim their votes, as they should. This is a legitimate process that all parties take part in, and naturally we will as well,” Çelik added.
The local elections on Sunday gave the AKP an unexpected defeat in Turkey’s largest cities, İstanbul and Ankara, where the ruling party has been in control since 2002.