48.6 million people set to vote in the local elections

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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In 32 of the eastern and southeastern provinces the ballot boxes will open from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. and in the rest of Turkey the voting will start run from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Anatolia news agency reported. A total of 19 political parties will be competing in the local elections.

Voters living in metropolitan cities will vote for 5 candidates at a time. They will vote for a member of the provincial assembly, the metropolitan mayor, the district mayor, a member of the municipal assembly and their local headman.

Other citizens living in provinces and districts will be voting four times, for the provincial assembly, the municipal mayor, the municipal council, and the headman. Those who live in villages will vote for the provincial assembly and the headman of the village. Sixteen metropolitan municipality mayors, 65 provincial municipality mayor, 892 district mayor, 1,974 township mayor, 52,765 headman to villages and quarter will be elected in this local elections.

Voters had to have their ID cards having their identity number on it. Otherwise they have to show a registered copy of their identity certificate.

Muammer Aydın, the head of Supreme Election Board, or YSK, said Friday that all measures have been taken and they are ready for Sunday’s elections. Aydın also warned citizens to put their clocks an hour forward on Sunday.

Voting from prisons
Those under arrest and those convicted will be voting in the prisons starting from 8 a.m. on Sunday, if their name appears on the confirmed electorate list for the prisons. For blind, paralyzed, or those who cannot use their hands, help from a relative or another voter at the same ballot box is allowed. One voter will not be allowed to help more than one disabled person.

The election prohibitions will start 24 hours before the election starts. During the voting hours all the entertainment places serving alcoholic drinks will be closed and they will be able to offer food only if they are open. All predictions about the elections and news about the election results will be banned on radio stations and all other press organizations until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. radios will be allowed to announce news provided by the YSK. After 9 p.m. on Sunday, press organs will be able to broadcast news about the elections and election results.