All eyes on June 23 Istanbul revote

Millions of Istanbulites will pour to the ballot box on June 23, Sunday, to elect their city’s mayor for the next five years in a re-run local poll.

Ekrem Imamoglu, candidate of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and Binali Yildirim of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, will vie to run the metropolitan municipality of Turkey’s most populous city after a previous vote on March 31 was annulled by the country’s top election council last month.

YSK chief Sadi Guven said all eligible voters who cast their ballots in the March 31 poll would be able to do so again in a re-do vote for Istanbul’s metropolitan mayor.

However, 44,852 voters were removed from the electoral lists due to conviction, military service or death.

The YSK announced the total number of voters would be 10,560,963 for the June 23 elections.

Voters will go to 31,342 ballot boxes in 39 districts, according to the YSK.