FLASH
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The ballot boxes for local elections have opened in Turkey, where over 61 million people have the right to vote in the country's 81 provinces, reports Anadolu Agency, the official news agency. Voting began at 7:00 a.m. local time and will continue until 4:00 p.m. in the country's 32 eastern provinces. In the remaining provinces, polling stations open at 08:00 and will close at 17:00.
The main battlegrounds are the country's economic hub, Istanbul, and the country's capital, Ankara, which Erdogan lost in 2019, shattering his aura of invincibility. The 70-year-old Turkish president has set his sights on reclaiming Istanbul, a city of 16 million people where he was born and raised and where he began his political career as mayor in 1994.
There are candidates from 34 political parties in the race, while more than 206,000 polling stations have been set up across the country.
In addition to the heads of 81 provinces, 973 district heads and 390 mayors will be elected along with 50,336 muhtars, as well as members of provincial general assemblies and municipal councils.
Voters living in Turkey's biggest cities are casting their ballots for metropolitan mayors, mayors, city council memberships, as well as muhtars and councils of elders. Those cities are Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Ordu , Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Trabzon and Van.
In other provinces, voters cast their votes for members of provincial councils, mayors, members of municipal councils, muhtars and councils of elders.
In the villages, there will be voting for members in the provincial councils, muhtars and councils of elders.
The main competing parties are the Justice and Development Party (AK), the main opposition the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the IYI Party and the People's Democratic Party (DEM).
Polls have shown a close race between Istanbul's current mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, of the main opposition, pro-secular Republican People's Party, and AKP candidate Murat Kurum, a former urbanization and environment minister. This time, however, Imamoglu — a popular figure touted as a possible future challenger to Erdogan — is running without the support of some of the parties that helped him win in 2019.
Turnout is traditionally high in Turkey, but this time the vote comes against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis. Observers say disillusioned opposition supporters may choose to stay home, doubting its ability to turn things around.
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