Election watchdog reinstates DEM Party mayoral win in Van

ANKARA

The Supreme Election Council (YSK) has decided to grant the certificate of the election to the winning candidate from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in the eastern province of Van, accepting the appeal by the party against an earlier ruling that overturned the election win.

Dem Party candidate Abdullah Zeydan garnered more than 55 percent of the vote in Van in local elections on March 31. But the regional electoral commission on April 2 said that he was ineligible to stand due to a previous conviction, deciding to hand over the mayorship to a candidate with the second-highest vote count from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Accepting the DEM Party's appeal, the YSK ruled on April 3 that the certificate will be given to Zeydan with seven members accepting and four others rejecting it.

DEM Party's representative to the YSK, Mehmet Rüştü Tiryaki, stated that since the decisions by the YSK are not open to appeal and are not subject to review by the Constitutional Court, Zeydan will soon receive his certificate.

YSK chairman Ahmet Yener told reporters on April 4 that the detailed ruling will be written within the day.

The April 2 decision that annulled the DEM Party’s election win triggered protests in several provinces, with some demonstrations also leading to scuffles between participants and the police. More than 100 people were detained in several eastern provinces over chanting pro-PKK slogans and resisting security forces during the protests.

The Istanbul Governor's Office also announced that 132 people were detained over attempting to hold demonstrations related to the ruling in Van without obtaining the necessary permits from the relevant authorities.