Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voted today around 1:30 PM in Istanbul at Saffet Chebi Secondary School, which is located in the Yusküdar district on the Asian side of the Bosphorus city. Hours before, hundreds of people were eagerly waiting for Erdogan in front of the school, writes BTA.
The president arrived in an armored limousine together with his wife Emine Erdogan. The presidential family was escorted by a large number of security personnel.
Hundreds of people were waiting for the presidential couple in front of the entrance of the school. Erdogan shook hands with many, exchanging a few words with them. He takes pictures with a lot of people.
The president first gave way to his wife Emine Erdoğan to the dark room. He also voted after her. The two put the ballots into the ballot box together, and then signed the protocol sheet.
May the elections be beneficial for everyone, for Turkish democracy, Erdogan said after casting his vote.
In a brief statement to Turkish media, Erdogan said that today's election is very important for Turkish democracy.
“After the parliamentary and presidential elections last year, today our citizens are voting for local authorities. Two election periods in a row are tiring for voters, but I believe that today's vote results will be a step towards a new beginning, a new period for the development of our country. I thank everyone for participating in the pre-election campaign, to all the employees who are on duty today for the democratic conduct of the elections,” said the head of state, quoted by TRT Haber.
After the vote, in the courtyard of the school, Erdoğan spoke to the gathered people who were competing to shake hands and take pictures with him.
A large number of Turkish and foreign journalists are following the elections mainly in Istanbul.
One of the main candidates for mayor of Istanbul, Murat Kurum of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), voted in the Kyathane district together with his wife and son, who voted for the first time.
After exercising his right to vote, Kurum thanked the voters.
„I believe that today will be a celebration and that we will realize our dream of making the metropolis the best city to live in,” he said.
Kurum invited people to go to the mosque in the evening for namaz and congratulate each other on the election victory.
Candidate for a second mayoral term in Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu voted in the Beylikdüzü district with his family.
Queues of voters formed in front of the polling stations in the metropolis of Istanbul from the morning.
Over 11 million people are eligible to vote in a total of 33,000 polling stations in the metropolis.
There are a total of 49 candidates for mayor of Istanbul.