YSK bars using name of ‘Nation Alliance’ in 16 constituencies

ANKARA

The opposition Nation Alliance will not be able to run with its name in 16 constituencies, the election watchdog has ruled.

The two biggest components of the alliance, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the İYİ (Good) Party, asked the YSK to appear on the ballot paper under the title of the Nation Alliance in 16 provinces where they decided to run on a single slate.

In a bid to increase the votes for the alliance, the CHP candidates will run for the parliament under the İYİ Party ticket in seven provinces and the İYİ Party candidates under the CHP ticket in nine provinces. The CHP and İYİ Party representatives at the YSK underlined their continued cooperation for the elections under the Nation Alliance, and that’s why they wanted to appear under the alliance’s name on the ballot paper.

The YSK, however, in a majority vote, ruled against the appeal and prohibited the use of the Nation Alliance on the ballot paper. YSK President Ahmet Yener and three other judges voted in favor of the appeal.

In a statement after the decision, the deputy leader of the CHP, Muharrem Erkek, criticized the YSK for the ruling and accused it of changing the rules after the start of the match. “We want to call on the judges at the YSK. You are supreme judges who have come here from other supreme courts. You should have just one master, and this is law, this is electoral law,” he said.

100-centimeter-long ballot paper

In the meantime, the YSK has published the full list of the candidates who will run for the parliament in the Official Gazette.

Accordingly, 24 political parties and their candidates for the 600-seat parliament will race in the May 14 parliamentary elections. In addition, 152 independent candidates will also race to be elected as the member of the parliament.

The YSK is also starting to print the ballot papers to be used in the May elections. It is believed to be around 100 centimeters long.