The provincial election board in the southeastern Turkish province of Muş has rejected a request from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) for a recount of votes in the province, where the party’s mayoral candidate lost by a narrow margin to the candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkish media reported on Friday.
According to unofficial results announced by the Supreme Election Board (YSK), the AKP mayoral candidate received 15,919 votes while HDP candidate Sırrı Sakık garnered 15,381 in the election on Sunday. Only 538 votes separate the two candidates.
In a message from his Twitter account, Sakık said his party would file an objection with the YSK following the decision of the local eleciton authority.
“Objections made by the AKP-MHP [Justice and Development Party, Nationalist Movement Party] to the election results in many provinces where they lost were accepted based on simple excuses. We have legitimate reasons, and our objection has been rejected for a second time by the provincial election board. The existence of double standards [against some parties] makes the controversial elections even more controversial. The final destination is the YSK,” tweeted Sakık.
The party’s request for a recount of votes in Muş’s Malazgirt district has also been rejected.
The results of the local elections have not been conclusive in many provinces and districts including in İstanbul and Ankara due to objections from the losing parties and candidates, mainly from the AKP and MHP.