Its spirits lifted by double victories in the May 2023 general elections, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) aims to recoup its losses in the 2019 municipal elections. With 17 election wins under its belt in general and local elections, the party will head to the March 2024 municipal vote. The party’s chair, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is expected to hold the party’s first official election rally on Jan. 20. Election rallies will be held in more than 50 provinces.

Istanbul, Türkiye’s most populated city, and the capital of Ankara will be in focus for the AK Party and multiple rallies will be held in those cities.

The party is yet to announce its candidates for most cities and towns. A major event to unveil the candidates and election manifesto is scheduled for Jan. 15. It is now working on an election strategy and preparing slogans and other propaganda work. Ertan Aydın, a veteran campaign runner for the AK Party, will organize this campaign as well. The election manifesto will concentrate on cities’ needs, particularly urban transformation, a project initiated by the AK Party years ago. Urban transformation is a major item in the government’s agenda in the aftermath of last February’s earthquakes that killed thousands in Türkiye’s south. Erdoğan is anticipated to focus the election campaign in provinces affected by last February’s earthquakes. The project aims to replace old buildings not resistant to major disasters with new ones through state-sponsored incentives.

The official process for Türkiye’s upcoming local elections has begun, as political parties will start listing their candidates and the top election authority will announce the names of parties eligible to run in the upcoming polls in March.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) announced the names of eligible political parties. YSK Chair Ahmet Yener said in a news conference that 36 parties would run in the elections. On Wednesday, the top election authority will request them to inform it about which procedures and principles they will use to determine candidates. The parties will have until Jan. 10 to inform the YSK. On Jan. 17, the final voter list will be determined and it is also the last day for people with special assistance needs to submit an application for a mobile ballot to be brought to the place they’re residing in. On Jan. 27, the YSK will have a draw to determine the spots for each political party on the ballot box. Jan. 31 will be the last day for political parties to submit their candidacy lists to the relevant authorities. On Feb. 7, the YSK will start assigning voters with ballot boxes and will finish this process by Feb. 11. Five days later, local election boards will start necessary preliminary preparations to print the ballots. The temporary candidate lists will be announced on Feb. 23 and the final candidate lists will be announced on March 3. On March 21, the YSK will impose a ban on election propaganda, which will end on March 30.

Voters will head to the ballot boxes on March 31 to elect mayors, district mayors and local headmen called mukhtars in villages and neighborhoods.

AK Party looks to recapture key cities, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) recently finalized its mayoral candidates for 227 electoral districts, including four metropolitan cities. The decision, made at the party assembly, sees the re-nomination of Ekrem İmamoğlu in Istanbul and Mansur Yavaş in capital Ankara.

The stage is now set for a dynamic and competitive electoral landscape as both major parties gear up for the upcoming vote.

Istanbul, as the country's largest city and economic hub, stands as a focal point in Türkiye's political landscape, acting as a stronghold for various political movements. The outcome of the elections is more than the appointment of a mayor; it has the potential to either reinforce existing political dynamics or signify a shift in the broader political balance. The mayor of Istanbul holds a position of considerable influence, impacting local governance and policies with resonance on the national stage.

Istanbul again?

The AK Party’s long hold on the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul turned the fortunes of the city, improving its infrastructure. The party attaches importance to the city, which is credited with boosting the prominence of Erdoğan in Turkish politics, as he ran a successful stint as mayor in the 1990s. Indeed, the party is looking to run a separate campaign. The campaign will highlight the issues of Istanbul, from transportation to infrastructure and urban transformation. Istanbul is at risk of an earthquake at a magnitude above 7.0 on the Richter scale, according to experts who say the devastation would be high in the city with a high population density.

The city’s mass transportation problems also surfaced under the tenure of incumbent Imamoğlu, who is criticized for shortcomings in running the intricate network of transportation, including incomplete metro projects and public buses often breaking down.