YSK awaits harmonization laws before announcing election schedule

ANKARA

Supreme Board of Elections (YSK) head Sadi Güven has said the board is waiting for harmonization laws to be passed by parliament in order to announce the election schedule.

“We will announce which political party will enter the elections on the first day of the election schedule. But we might make an announcement sooner to relive the political parties,” Güven told reporters on April 22 outside the YSK headquarters in Ankara before the board convened for a meeting.

He added that the board was waiting for harmonization laws to be legislated before announcing the election schedule, as the conditions of presidential elections stipulated by the constitutional amendment passed last year necessitate changes in the current legislation.

“There should be a harmonization law for presidential elections about which authority will collect the 100,000 signatures necessary to present a presidential candidate and how these signatures will be collected,” Güven said.

The announcement came at the same time as 15 main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmakers announced their transfer to the İYİ (Good) Party to ensure the latter’s participation in the election.

The CHP accused the YSK of postponing its announcement of the political parties that fulfil the qualifications to enter parliamentary elections as a “political move” to block the İYİ Party from entering the election.

CHP spokesperson Bülent Tezcan said in a press conference to announce the lawmakers’ transfer that the Supreme Court of Appeals’ Prosecutor’s Office has conveyed a list to the YSK including 10 political parties that fulfil the qualifications, including the İYİ Party, and the YSK has to acknowledge it.

Responding to reporters’ questions about the CHP’s move, Güven said the prosecutor’s office has the right to keep the record of the political parties on the list but the YSK is the final authority to make the assessment and announcement.

“I cannot say when [the announcement of the list will be] without discussing it with the board,” he said, adding that the board has not yet made an assessment on the issue.

“The conditions under which political parties can enter elections is stipulated by the Political Parties Law,” Güven said.