Turkey's opposition protests, plans as date set for Istanbul re-vote
The announcement that the Istanbul mayoral election was going to be held again was greeted with the discordant sounds of clanging pots and pans, and supporters of opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu now face the difficult task of finding the recipe that can bring him victory again June 23.
ANKARA, Turkey — The night the Supreme Electoral Council announced it had voided the election for Istanbul’s mayor, a legion of residents in the city banged pots and pans.
It was a throwback to the Gezi Park protests of 2013, when thousands of housewives who could not take to the streets took to their windows to vent their feelings about then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A video taken from a high building Monday night recorded a cacophony of cookware from Istanbul’s streets.
The next day, people realized that the day the electoral council had chosen for the re-run election, June 23, would fall one week into the summer holidays. Thousands of middle-class residents, most probably opposition voters, would be far away from Istanbul’s polling stations.
The Aegean island of Bozcaada posted a warning on social media that Istanbulites should not swim in its turquoise waters June 23 because “shark attacks are expected.” Another Aegean resort went one better: “Bodrum will be experiencing heavy snow June 23. We advise you to enjoy the sunshine in Istanbul that day.”
