Local elections were held in Turkey on March 31 in 81 provinces and 972 municipalities. 1,053 candidates from 34 parties participated, and 48 million people cast their votes.
The participation rate reached 78%, while the participation rate in the previous elections was 84.6%. The “New Welfare” Party, founded by Mehmet Ali Fatih Erbakan, was the biggest surprise in the elections. Their vote share increased to close to 100% and they won two municipalities.