Turkey's Supreme Election Board (YSK) on Friday released the local election schedule to be held on March 31, 2019, requiring the date for parties to announce candidates as Jan.1- Feb. 21.

Candidates of numerous parties will compete for 1,398 municipalities in 81 provinces, 921 districts and 396 towns in the elections.

In the 2014 local elections, the YSK designated 26 political parties as qualified to participate in the elections. If the same number of parties participate and nominate candidates for each of the 1,398 municipalities; the number of candidates will exceed 36,000. According to the schedule, the time set for political parties to nominate candidates will expire on Feb. 21.

Precise lists of candidates will be announced on March 3. On March 21, election advertising and bans will commence. The period for election advertising will end one day before the election at 6 p.m.

On Sunday, March 31, 2019, Turkey will go to the polls. While the municipal election nears, the political parties will accelerate their preparations and continue to announce mayoral candidates.

On Nov. 24, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) agreed to continue the previously formed People's Alliance in the upcoming local elections when MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli announced that the party will not nominate candidates in three metropolitan cities, namely, Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

On Dec. 12, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and right-wing Good Party (İP) have also agreed to continue their political alliance for the local elections.