Who's who in local polls?

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

The voters will choose from 12 political parties competing in the local elections.       

The major competing parties are the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Good (İYİ) Party, and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).       

Also taking part are the Independent Turkey Party (BTP), Grand Unity Party (BBP), Democrat Party (DP), Democratic Left Party (DSP), Saadet (Felicity) Party, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), and Patriotic (Vatan) Party.       

In the People's Alliance (Cumhur Ittifakı), AKP and MHP agreed to support each other's candidates in 30 metropolitan municipalities and 51 provinces.       

MHP named no mayoral candidates for 27 metropolitan municipalities, while AKP named no candidates for mayor of three metropolitan municipalities- Adana, Mersin and Manisa - and are instead supporting each other's candidates.

Click here for local election results in Istanbul and other provinces

The MHP agreed to support AKP candidates in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Mardin, Muğla, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Trabzon, Van, Rize, Ağrı, Artvin, Bilecik, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Çanakkale, Edirne, Giresun, Hakkari, Muş, Siirt, Sinop, Şırnak, Ardahan and Yalova.       

AKP will support MHP candidates in Iğdır, Kars, Kırklareli, Adana, Manisa, Mersin, and Osmaniye.       

The opposition has formed the Nation's Alliance (Millet Ittifakı), which brings CHP and İYİ Party together to support each other's candidates in 22 out of 30 metropolitan municipalities.        

The CHP nominated 12 candidates and agreed to support 10 İYİ Party candidates in metropolitan municipalities.       

The parties reached consensus in 27 out of 51 provinces.       

 As part of the electoral alliance, the CHP nominated mayoral candidates for Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Eskişehir, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Muğla and Tekirdağ.

İYİ Party nominated candidates to compete for Balıkesir, Kocaeli, Gaziantep, Denizli, Kayseri, Konya, Manisa, Sakarya, Samsun and Trabzon.       

For the remaining eight metropolitan cities and 24 provinces, each party will nominate its own candidates.       

A total of 73 independent candidates will compete for district municipal mayors' seats in metropolitan cities.       

This year, the opposition HDP decided not to field any candidates for mayor in five of Turkey's largest cities: the metropolitan municipalities of Ankara, Istanbul, Adana, Mersin, Antalya and Izmir.       

The race is expected to be tight in some of the metropolitan municipalities, including Ankara, Istanbul, Diyarbakır, Mersin, Adana and Antalya. Here are the candidates in those large cities:       

ANKARA       

Seven political parties and five independent candidates will compete for the mayor's seat in Ankara, Turkey's capital.       

AKP nominated Mehmet Özhaseki, its deputy chair and a former environment and urbanization minister, for mayor, with support from the MHP.       

AKP is also supporting MHP candidates in three districts of Ankara: Etimesgut, Gölbaşı, and Polatlı.       

CHP nominated Mansur Yavaş for mayor of Ankara- his second time seeking the post for the main opposition.       

Yavaş is a former MHP member and, from 1999 to 2009, served as mayor of Beypazarı, one of Ankara's largest districts.       

In 2009, running for Ankara mayor under the MHP banner, Yavaş won 25 percent of the vote, but lost to Melih Gökçek, AKP candidate.       

In 2014, Yavaş ran under the CHP banner, and won 43.81 percent of the vote, but again narrowly lost to Gökçek, Ankara's longtime mayor.       

Gökçek stepped down in October 2017.       

İYİ Party has not nominated any candidate for mayor and agreed to support the CHP's candidate.       

The Felicity (Saadet) Party nominated Mesut Doğan, a businessman, for the post.       

ISTANBUL        

Eight political parties and 24 independent candidates will run for mayor of Istanbul, Turkey's commercial capital.       

AKP named Binali Yıldırım, a former parliament speaker and prime minister, to seek the top mayor's post, and the MHP agreed to support him.       

The CHP nominated Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been mayor of Istanbul's Beylikdüzü district since 2014.       

İYİ Party is not fielding a candidate and is instead supporting the CHP candidate.       

The Felicity (Saadet) Party nominated Necdet Gökçınar, a local businessman.       

IZMIR       

Eight political parties and four independent candidates are seeking the post of Izmir mayor.       

In 2014, CHP candidate Aziz Kocaoğlu won the office with 49.6 percent of the vote.       

AKP nominated former Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci for mayor of Izmir, and the MHP agreed to support him at the polls.       

President Erdoğan earlier announced that his party would support MHP candidates in five districts of Izmir: Aliağa, Çeşme, Dikili, Foça, and Narlıdere.       

Turkey's main opposition CHP nominated Tunç Soyer, who has served as mayor of Izmir's Seferihisar district, for the post of Izmir metropolitan mayor.       

İYİ Party is not fielding any candidate for Izmir, and is instead supporting the CHP candidate.       

The Felicity (Saadet) Party nominated Şerafettin Kılıç, an investment adviser.       

ADANA       

Seven political parties and one independent candidate are seeking the post of mayor of Adana in southern Turkey.       

In 2014, MHP candidate Hüseyin Sözlü won the race in Adana with 30.27 percent of the vote.       

Sözlü, an agricultural engineer, is seeking a second term as mayor, and the ruling AKP agreed to support him.       

The CHP will field Zeydan Karalar, an engineer, and the İYİ Party agreed to support him.       

The Felicity (Saadet) Party nominated Muhammet Çelebi Keyhıdır, a businessman.       

MERSIN       

Eight political parties are seeking the mayor's seat in Mersin, a city in southern Turkey with a population of 915,000.       

In 2014, MHP candidate Burhanettin Kocamaz won the mayoral race with 31.95 percent of the vote.       

MHP nominated Hamit Tuna, an engineer, for mayor of Mersin, and the ruling AKP agreed to support him.       

For Mersin, the CHP will field Vahap Secer, an engineer.       

İYİ Party agreed to support the CHP candidate in Mersin, after the party failed to deliver current Mayor Kocamaz's candidacy papers on time.       

The Felicity (Saadet) Party nominated Erdal Alkan, a lawyer.       

Supported by Kocamaz, Ayfer Yılmaz is the Democrat Party candidate for Mersin mayor.

ANTALYA       

 Eight political parties and one independent candidate will compete for the mayor's seat in the southern resort city of Antalya.       

In 2014, the AKP's Menderes Türel won the race with 36.42 of the vote, and this year the party nominated him for a second term.       

The MHP agreed to support the AKP candidate in Antalya.       

The CHP will field Muhittin Böcek, an administrator, with the İYİ Party supporting him.       

The Felicity (Saadet) Party nominated Ali Aktaş, a lawyer.       

DIYARBAKIR       

Eight political parties and five independent candidates will compete for the mayor's seat in the Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey.       

In 2014, Gültan Kışanak won the race with 55.11 percent of the vote, but she was arrested in October 2016 for links to the PKK.

Cumali Atilla, Diyarbakir's current mayor, has been nominated by the AKP, with support from the MHP.       

The CHP will field Veysi Ağhan, with İYİ Party support.       

The HDP nominated Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı, a doctor, and the Felicity (Saadet) Party nominated Fesih Bozan, an administrator.