Political parties submit candidate lists to Supreme Electoral Council


The political parties that have ramped up efforts to finalize lawmaker candidate lists are have to submit their lists to the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) today. The deadline for submitting the candidate lists, which have been anticipated with excitement by many, ends today at 17.00 pm. The YSK will send the final lists of candidate lawmakers to the province electoral boards and the Official Gazette on May 30.

As presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on June 24, the YSK previously announced that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Good Party (IYI Party), the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Independent Turkey Party (BTP), the Great Union Party (BBP), the Democrat Party (DP), the Vatan Party (VP) and the Felicity Party (SP) will be eligible to take part in the upcoming election.

With an aim of finalizing their lists the parties have been working around the clock. On Saturday President and Chairman of AK Party, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and high-level party authorities worked on the party's list that will be submitted today. There was a record number of application for candidacy to the AK Party. Some 7,039 people were interviewed and 2,100 of them were selected to be evaluated by the upper committee. Erdoğan previously underlined that there will be major changes in the party's cadres and stated that there will be young candidates in the lists as well. The AK Party will announce their candidates on May 24.

The main opposition CHP also held discussions to determine the list of 600 candidates in its party assembly yesterday. The CHP will announce its candidates on May 24 at the ATO Congress. The MHP, which formed an alliance with the AK Party, submitted its lists of candidates to the YSK on May 18. There are 79 women candidates in the list of MHP.