Turkish voters head to polls in key local elections

Türkiye is gearing up for local elections that will shape the country's administrative landscape for the next five years, with more than 61 million voters expected to head to the polls on March 31.

The country will witness the participation of 61.44 million registered voters, including 1.03 million young individuals casting their ballots for the first time. A total of 206,000 ballot boxes will be distributed across the nation, setting the stage for candidates from 34 political parties.

The elections will determine the mayors in 81 provinces, 973 districts, and 390 towns, along with over 50,000 mukhtars (local heads). Additionally, voters will have their say in selecting members for provincial councils and municipal councils.

In 30 cities under the metropolitan status, voters will elect metropolitan mayors, district mayors, municipal council members and mukhtars. Meanwhile, non-metropolitan areas will see votes cast for provincial council members, district mayors, municipal council members and mukhtars. In rural villages, elections will focus on provincial council membership and the mukhtars.

Taking into account regional conditions and sunset times, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) has adjusted voting hours in 32 eastern provinces, moving them one hour earlier. Citizens in these provinces will now cast their votes between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., deviating from the standard 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.

The YSK has previously finalized the order of political parties on the ballot papers. Despite initially qualifying 36 parties, the electoral landscape has seen changes with the withdrawal of two parties and the rebranding of another.

The Innovation Party opted out of the race, reducing the number of participating parties to 35....