EU minister photographed during vote-counting: CHP official

ANTALYA - Doğan News Agency

CHP’s Antalya provincial office, shared the photograph showing Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu during the vote count with journalists at the Antalya courthouse. DHA Photo

Turkey’s EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was photographed alongside a police chief and election official counting votes after the March 30 local elections, an official from the main opposition official Republican People’s Party (CHP) said April 1.

Devrim Kök, the head of the CHP’s Antalya provincial office, shared the photograph with journalists at the Antalya courthouse, after both his party and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) filed official complaints regarding the controversial vote counting in Antalya.

“Is it ethical that there is a minister here? We can’t crack the secret of a minister who comes to the courthouse and stands over the votes during counting,” Kök said, adding that “the CHP has lost the election on the table after winning it in the ballot box.”

He claimed that what happened after the local polls in Ankara went beyond “simple irregularities.” “But we won’t permit it. We believe in justice. We filed our complaints and they’ll respond in 48 hours. We’re sure that we will be ahead after the recount,” he added.