Turkey Holds Local Elections

Over 50 million eligible voters can go to the polls in Turkey's local elections on Sunday.

According to the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey, a total of 52 695 831 Turkish citizens are entitled to cast their ballots at 194 310 polling stations.

Election day starts at 7 am local time and ends at 4 pm in eastern provinces, while in the western provinces voting will take place between 8 am and 5 pm, according to Today's Zaman.

The first results are due after 6 pm in the evening.

A total of 26 political parties will fight to win political representation, the main contenders being Prime Minister Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the pro-Kurdish Justice and Development Party (BDP), according to reports of Al Jazeera.

Turkey's local elections, which come at a time of damaging security leaks and allegations of government corruption and bribery, are widely seen as a test for the political future of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling party AKP.