Voters return to polls in three districts for election rerun

ANKARA

Voters in the country's three districts and four towns returned to the polls on June 2 for a rerun of the local elections originally held on March 31.

The decision for a rerun was made following objections and irregularities that affected the initial results.

Ballot boxes were set up again in Aksaray's Güzelyurt, Kayseri's Pınarbaşı and Şanlıurfa's Hilvan districts, as well as in Sivas' Güneykaya, Tunceli's Akpazar, Kırklareli's Büyükkarıştıran and Aksaray's Sağlık towns. Over 50,000 voters were expected to participate in the rerun elections.

The renewal decision also included elections for some municipal council memberships and local head positions that had become vacant due to death or certificate cancellations. As a result, the number of locations with ballot boxes across Türkiye reached 200, reports said.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) emerged victorious in Kayseri's Pınarbaşı, with candidate Deniz Yağan securing 33.3 percent of the vote, narrowly beating the Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) candidate who received 31.18 percent. The vote difference was 324.

The Democracy and Progress Party's (DEVA) candidate Fazıl Demircioğlu garnered 11.28 percent of the vote. The rerun was ordered after MHP lodged an objection, prompting the Supreme Election Council (YSK) to mandate a new vote.

In Şanlıurfa's Hilvan, the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) candidate Serhan Paydaş won the mayoral race with 33.2 percent of the vote. The ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) candidate Aslan Ali Bayık followed with 30.72 percent.

The vote difference was 521. New Welfare Party's (YRP) Hanif Düzme came third with 18.77 percent of the votes. The elections were annulled after reports of ballot papers being burned, leading to the arrest of seven individuals, including an AKP election board member.

The İYİ (Good) Party's candidate Hazim Turan narrowly won in Aksaray's Güzelyurt by a single vote, receiving 549 votes. The AKP candidate followed with 548 votes, and the MHP candidate received 537 votes. CHP’s candidate received only 24 votes.

Other results included MHP's Hasan Erçoban winning in Sivas' Güneykaya town and CHP's Zeynel Yıldırım securing victory in Tunceli's Akpazar town. In Kırklareli's Büyükkarıştıran, Democratic Left Party's (DSP) Hakan Karaman edged out CHP's Ertuğrul Çamlıca by three votes. In Aksaray's Sağlık town, MHP's Aptullah Tosun won by one vote over AKP's Mehmet Yiğit.

All political parties that participated in the original March 31 elections took part in the June 2 rerun.