Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Istanbul chief criticized the Supreme Electoral Council’s (YSK) decision to annul the results of the local elections in Istanbul saying that official bodies should not override the people’s choice in elections.
The most contested election of the last decade in Turkey has been for the position of Istanbul’s mayor. And, after 36 days of complaints from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), on May 6, the first day of Ramadan, the YSK announced a rerun of the mayoral election. However, opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu’s now annulled victory and his strong stand after the election won the hearts and minds of not just Istanbulites but of most Turks. Along with Imamoglu, there is someone else who deserves credit: Canan Kaftancioglu. Kaftancioglu is the provincial chair of the CHP for Istanbul.