Hazal Ateş

ANKARA – Upcoming municipal elections are providing extra income for many Turks while businesses in advertisement, promotion, printing, research and textiles are enjoy increased sales.

A total of two million people including volunteers are expected to participate in ensuring the safety of 196,000 ballot boxes, in which 52 million people will cast their votes. Various parties commissioned observers for each ballot box in an effort to prevent intervention and fraud by provocateurs.

These volunteers were trained on ensuring a safe and fair election. The AK Party assigned a million volunteers to monitor the ballot boxes, the corridors and the schools where elections will be taking place. An exclusive software was developed to evaluate data at the AK Party headquarters and provide instant and efficient analysis about the results in an effort to help prevent expected fraud by the Gülen Movement.

Other parties also assigned volunteers to monitor the balloting following the allegations that the municipal elections could be rigged by outside actors. The Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) commissioned 400,000 volunteers, while the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) commissioned volunteers in 30 cities and the People's Democracy Party (HDP) commissioned volunteers in 59 cities to ensure smooth polling.

Political parties received a total of TL 315.7 million as the countdown to municipal elections continued. The three major parties received double the amount of funds from the treasury for municipal elections, with the AK Party receiving TL 177.1 million, the CHP TL 92.3 million and the MHP TL 46.2 million in total.

The Interior Ministry will take extra measures to ensure people will be able to vote until the evening by providing proper lighting and taking precautions against power failures. The transfer of ballots will also be handled with extra caution as security forces will accompany the transportation of ballots to election boards in the city and the districts and use armored vehicles or helicopters if necessary.

Out of the 1.5 million people who will monitor of the elections, the ballot box committee president will receive a stipend of TL 284 lira, while party members without training will receive TL 62 lira. Observers will receive a three-day salary while public servants will receive a two-day salary for taking part in the monitoring of the elections.