AKP to refrain from 7 cities to boost MHP alliance, reports say

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has opted not to field candidates in five non-metropolitan provinces for the upcoming mayoral elections, throwing support behind its alliance partner Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) candidates, according to local reports.

The provinces in focus – Erzincan, Bartın, Kars, Kırklareli and Osmaniye – echo the strategic alliance in the 2019 elections, as revealed by the İhlas news agency. In the previous election, the MHP clinched victories in Erzincan, Bartın and Osmaniye, while trailing behind the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) candidate Ayhan Bilgen in Kars and independent candidate Mehmet Siyam Kesimoğlu in Kırklareli.

With an eye on the country's 30 metropolitan cities in next March's polls, MHP deputy leader Feti Yıldız declared last week that Manisa and Mersin are set to rally behind MHP candidates. On the other hand, the AKP will garner support in the remaining 28, including key battlegrounds such as Istanbul and the capital Ankara. The MHP secured Manisa in 2019, while Mersin favored the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate.

The comprehensive collaboration will also extend to non-metropolitan provinces where the MHP will abstain from fielding candidates, lending their support to the AKP candidates. These constituencies include Adıyaman, Ağrı, Ardahan, Artvin, Batman, Bilecik, Bingöl, Bitlis, Burdur, Çanakkale, Çorum, Edirne, Giresun, Hakkari, Iğdır, Kırşehir, Muş, Rize, Siirt, Sinop, Şırnak, Tunceli, Yalova and Zonguldak.

In 22 provinces, the AKP and MHP will independently contest the elections, presenting their own candidates. These encompass Afyonkarahisar, Aksaray, Amasya, Bayburt, Bolu, Çankırı, Düzce, Elazığ, Gümüşhane, Isparta, Karabük, Karaman, Kastamonu, Kırıkkale, Kilis, Kütahya, Nevşehir, Niğde, Sivas, Tokat, Uşak and Yozgat.

A detailed collaboration is also anticipated in specific districts of Istanbul and Ankara, where the AKP is set to forgo fielding candidates in select areas, supporting the MHP candidates, local media has reported. The districts include Silivri, Avcılar, Küçükçekmece and Beşiktaş in Istanbul, and Etimesgut, Polatlı, Gölbaşı, Ayaş and Kalecik in Ankara, as reported by the news portal Haberler.com.

The series of cooperation meetings between the AKP and MHP, commencing in October and concluding with the 13th meeting this week, will soon see a drafted strategy presented to party leaders. Anticipating a final assessment, President and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli are expected to convene in the near future.

In addition to its alliance with the MHP, the AKP is reportedly engaging in discussions with other parties with which it ran in May's parliamentary and presidential elections – the New Welfare Party (YRP), the Great Union Party (BBP), Democratic Left Party (DSP) and Free Cause Party (HÜDA PAR).

Meanwhile, the two major opposition parties, the CHP and the İYİ (Good) Party, are adopting a different approach to their successful joint strategy in 2019. The CHP has officially renominated its current mayors in Istanbul and Ankara, Ekrem İmamoğlu and Mansur Yavaş. In contrast, the İYİ Party is yet to unveil its own candidates in key battlegrounds, marking a departure from their previous collaborative approach.