Local Election Date Published on Official Gazette

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The Supreme Election Council (YSK) has said its last word regarding the rumors whether there will be any snap local elections in the near future. According to the resolution of the Supreme Election Council, which was published on the Official Gazette today (October 26), the local elections will be held on March 31, 2019 as it was previously scheduled.

In the resolution published on the Official Gazette, the first paragraph of the Article no. 8 of the Law no. 2972 on elections of local administrations has been referred to. In the related article, it is stated,

"Elections of local administrations shall be held once in every five years. The day of January 1 in the fifth year of every electoral period is specified as the starting date of the election. The last Sunday in March of the same year is the day when the votes shall be cast."

As per this paragraph of the Law no. 2972, the date of next local elections in Turkey has been announced as March 31, 2019.

Local administrations are not obliged to resign

In the resolution published on the Official Gazette, the Article no. 17 of the related law on local elections has also been referred to. As per the related article, members of parliament, mayors, provincial and municipal council members as well as village and neighborhood heads (mukhtars) are not obliged to resign from their posts to be a candidate in local elections.

In the resolution, it has also been stated that the civil servants, who will be candidates in the local election on March 31, 2019, are required to make a request to leave office at 5 p.m. on December 1 the latest. (HA/SD)