The Election High Commission finalized the objections raised by the ruling AKP party and ordered the Istanbul elections annulled
The Election High Commission finalized the objections raised by the ruling AKP party and ordered the Istanbul elections annulled.
The election will be repeated in Istanbul.
Before the provincial elections, the ruling AKP party had answered the corruption and election meddling accusations by assuring that they, themselves, were the protectors of the whole election system and that Turkey had the best and most secure electoral system in the world. An election fraud was simply out of question. AKP was very convinced that this was done deal, they had already secured a winning.
When the election results, even after gross election frauds perpetrated by the AKP itself, were released, the local government of Istanbul switched to the main opposition party, CHP.
This result was unacceptable to AKP where through corruption and cronyism AKP and its high officials makes most of their money. Huge government contracts to build unnecessary bridges, non-functional airports, toll roads, building permits enjoyed by the party and Erdogan’s personal and family friends generate unfathomed personal income to high party officials in AKP. As Erdogan had previously said, “You rule Istanbul, you rule the whole country.”
The moment results were in, Erdogan and the AKP complained of the election process that they had claimed were unbreachable. They made up rules that did not even exist to secure a repeat of the elections. For example, they claimed those who had been fired from their positions with a presidential decree had voted in the elections. There is not a single law or statute that prevents those who received the president’s personal wrath to participate in voting.
One by one all of AKP’s complaints were handled by the Election High Commission and rejected. Yet, AKP and Erdogan pushed further. In Turkey, even the courts are stacked by AKP as well as any and all state offices with no regard for the laws of the land or the constitution. The resistance the Election High Commission showed against the baseless AKP pressure caused discussions on not if but when the commission would give in.
That result came tonight after endless counting and recounting of votes but did not change the result that AKP had lost, fair and square. After exhausting exploration and innovative nudging by the government and deploying political orders, pressure, threats, and even the attempt of the head of the commission to resign, the expected result came when the commission finally caved in to the government. Those officials in the past who had not toed the line of the government had seen repercussions such as being accused of being a terrorist or publicly humiliated. The election officials seem to have received the government message loud and clear.
How the opposition party CHP, a traditional “law and order” mainstream organization will react to this verdict is yet to be seen. The party had convened to discuss the election reversal decision as this report was filed.
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