The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will reportedly nominate female candidates for the March 2019 local elections in Istanbul's Beyoğlu and Üsküdar, which are historic and strategic districts where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan entered into politics and resided for some time.

According to media reports, the MHP has been ramping up efforts to nominate ideal names for the culture and commercial capital Istanbul's prominent districts.

For the mayoral post of Beyoğlu, the party is expected to name Güllü Yener, who was the MHP's parliamentary candidate in the June 24 elections.

For the Üsküdar district, the MHP is expected to nominate Hatice Akkaya, a lawyer and vice head of the MHP in Üsküdar. She has been responsible for law and election affairs in the district. In the previous elections, Akkaya was nominated as a parliamentary candidate for Istanbul's first polling district.

Although they have not been officially announced yet, other expected MHP candidates in Istanbul's districts will be: Yüksel Emir in Arnavutköy, Ersin Öztürk in Adalar, Mehmet Kaya in Bahçelievler, Serkan Toper in Beşiktaş, İbrahim Ordu in Gaziosmanpaşa, Gökhan Arslan in Güngören, Murat Şahin in Pendik, Bilal Ünal in Sultanbeyli, Rahmi Çakar in Şile and Volkan Beşiroğlu in Tuzla.

The MHP decided to support Justice and Development Party (AK Party) candidates in three major metropolitan areas as part of the People's Alliance in the upcoming elections; however, in other provinces and districts, both parties are looking for a way to keep their alliance intact while showing their own candidates. For instance, according to Türkiye newspaper, in provinces like Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir where the MHP will not nominate a candidate, the party expects to cooperate with the AK Party in determining city councilors.

Moreover, in provinces where the two parties cooperate, if the mayor is from one of these parties, the deputy mayor will be from the other party. For instance, if the mayor is from the AK Party, his or her deputy will be selected from the MHP.

The People's Alliance, which was formed between the AK Party and the MHP ahead of the June 24 presidential and parliamentarian elections, received a majority in Parliament. As both parties considered the results of the elections successful, they now seek to continue their alliance in local elections.