Votes to be recounted in Ağrı after ruling AKP’s objection

AĞRI

Peace and Democracy Party’s (BDP) Sırrı Sakık had won the elections by only 10 votes, according to the first results. DHA Photo

The counting of votes for the municipality of the northeastern city of Ağrı will be repeated, following an objection filed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Sırrı Sakık, one of the key figures of the Peace and Democracy Party’s (BDP), won the election by a narrow margin of only 10 votes of difference over the AKP’s Hasan Arslan.

The provincial electoral board ordered April 4 to recount the votes in the 196 ballot boxes of the city’s constituency, despite reports that the votes had been counted 14 times without any change in result.

Sakık has denounced overwhelming pressure and attempts to “steal the elections” throughout the week.

“The AKP and the institutions that are close to the AKP and have not been able to accept the results have filed another complaint to the provincial electoral board, despite their complaints at the local election boards being rejected,” Sakık had said via Twitter.

“I invite everyone to respect the people’s decision in Ağrı,” he had added.

Ağrı is just one of the battlegrounds where uncertainty persists almost a week after the elections due to demands recount the vote amid fraud claims.

The most critical result in limbo is Ankara, where the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) candidate Mansur Yavaş, who came in second place, claims thousands of votes given to the CHP were not recorded.

Both the AKP and the CHP have appealed the results in the southern metropolis of Adana.
The northwestern city of Yalova, where the AKP’s candidate won only by a single vote according the first results, changed hands after the recount, in favor of the CHP.