Political parties in Türkiye are determining their candidates for local elections on March 31 while starting their rallies across the country's provinces.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) announced on Monday that it would hold its first rally for local elections on Jan. 28 in Mersin province.
In a written statement, MHP Deputy Chairperson Semih Yalçın said that the party would use the slogan "The public is ours, Türkiye belongs to us all," reflecting the republic's values.
Meanwhile, the Good Party (IP), a former ally of the CHP that announced the submission of its own candidates for March 31, is continuing to work to determine its candidates for Istanbul and Ankara. Candidates for the two critical cities will be announced within two weeks.
It has announced its candidates for 230 locations, including 12 metropolitan cities, 17 provinces, 182 districts and 19 towns.
Spouse of former Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, Başak Demirtaş, on Sunday, told Artı Gerçek that she would consider being a candidate in Istanbul for the Green Left Party (YSP), informally known as the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
Saying that she hasn't received an offer from the YSP yet, Demirtaş said: "We would enter a race to win Istanbul and be ambitious, not to make some win or others lose."
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) courted YSP votes ahead of March's municipal elections. The party won several seats in the past municipal elections thanks to the support of YSP, which was then known as the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Last month, the main opposition party's new head, Özgür Özel, visited YSP offices. However, neither Özel nor YSP officials confirmed that they openly discussed an alliance in the local elections.
A test of popular support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the opposition in the aftermath of last May's general election, municipal elections will show whether the opposition may regain momentum and if the AK Party is still popular despite challenges.
Defeated by the AK Party in last year's general election, the CHP seeks to recoup losses in the municipal elections in March.
Earlier this month, the AK Party nominated former Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum for the seat of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) mayor. However, winning the districts is also important for the party seeking an integrated approach to the city's administration. Although it lost the IBB seat to the CHP in the 2019 elections, the party retained seats in most districts.
On Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the names of the party's candidates for 39 districts of Türkiye's most populated city.
Twenty-two among them were incumbent AK Party mayors, while the party decided to endorse candidates of its ally, the MHP, in two districts. In three districts, incumbent mayors were fielded for a fourth time, while mayors of Gaziosmanpaşa and Usküdar were nominated for a third time. The party nominated its local branch directors as mayoral candidates in six districts.
