Turkey election: dead and injured in clashes in the Kurdish southeast

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Campaign banner of Istanbul mayor and Erdogan challenger Ekrem Imamoğlu in Istanbul

Photo: Pavel Nemecek / AP

According to authorities, clashes broke out between two groups in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of the country during local elections in Turkey. One person was killed and twelve others were injured, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday. A local official told AFP that violence broke out in the incident in a village 30 kilometers from the provincial capital Diyarbakir.

Firearms were also used, the officer said. A bullet hit the car of a local journalist.

The election in the southeast is particularly important for the country's Kurdish minority. The DEM party is under great pressure there. The pro-Kurdish party had won 65 mayoral positions under the name HDP in the last local elections - but the government in Ankara had the majority of politicians removed from office due to terrorism allegations and replaced by receivers. Erdogan accuses the legal pro-Kurdish party of terrorist connections, which it rejects.

Local elections are also a test of sentiment for Erdoğan

Around 61 million people in Turkey are called upon to elect mayors, local councilors and other local politicians. Sunday's nationwide election is also seen as a test of sentiment for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was re-elected last year after 20 years in power. The focus is on the metropolis of Istanbul and the capital Ankara, which Erdoğan's Islamic conservative AKP lost to the opposition five years ago and now wants to win back. The polling stations opened on Sunday morning and were scheduled to close in the early evening (local time). The first official results are expected later on Sunday evening.

With around 16 million inhabitants, Istanbul is the country's most populous city and around a third of Turkey's economic output is generated there. Polls suggest a close race between AKP candidate Murat Kurum (47) and Ekrem Imamoğlu (53) from the main opposition CHP.

Should Imamoğlu win again, his position as a possible challenger to Erdoğan in a future presidential election in 2028 will be strengthened. If the AKP wins back Istanbul, Erdoğan, whose political rise began as mayor of Istanbul, will further consolidate his power. Key topics in the election campaign included massive inflation of around 67 percent and infrastructure projects.

The election campaign was considered unfair - a large part of the media in Turkey is under direct or indirect government control. A delegation from the Council of Europe and the party “The Left” are observing the elections on site.

aka/AFP/dpa