İYİ Party district head shot dead during voting in Turkish election

ERZURUM

Mehmet Sıddık Durmaz, a local representative for the İYİ (Good) Party from the Karaçoban district of the eastern province of Erzurum, was shot dead during the voting process on June 24, his party has announced. 

“[Durmaz] was brutally shot dead by inglorious, dishonest people,” stated a post shared by the İYİ Party’s local Twitter account.

“We are now responsible for seeking justice through the legal system,” the party added, offering condolences to Durmaz’s loved ones.

Durmaz was killed as Turkey cast votes across its 81 provinces in landmark snap presidential and parliamentary elections.

“Some 24 officials from the Interior Ministry were sent here. We did not accept this and we reacted,” said Hüsnü Yılan, the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) provincial head for Erzurum, commenting on the incident.

“Then an MP hopeful from the [ruling Justice and Development Party] AKP came and we did not accept his presence either. After a fight broke out they started used guns,” Yılan was quoted as saying.

İYİ Party Deputy Chair Aytun Çıray said Durmaz was killed in a brawl that erupted from a feud between two families.

“Investigations are ongoing,” Çıray said on his Twitter account.