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Today will be held the local elections in Turkey to determine local leaders in the next 5 years. There are about 57 million voters who will vote in 194,390 polling stations.
In accordance with the decision of the High Electoral Council (HEC), 12 political parties will participate in the polls. While voters can only vote in polling stations where they are registered except of some exceptions.The voters in the cities of Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, İstanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Trabzon and Van will vote for the election of "mayors of metropolitan municipalities", "mayor", "municipal council members" and "the council of the elders".
Voting hours
Also, according to HEC in some prisons the polls will take place between 07:00 and 16:00 and in other places in 08: 00 - 17: 00 in local time. Even in these elections, mobile ballot boxes have been set up that are prepared for sick persons or because of physical obstacles.
The counting of the votes for cities that vote from 07:00 to 16:00 will not start before 16:00 and for other cities before 17:00. During the polls, the pregnant women, sick people, people with disabilities and the elderly could vote without waiting in queue. While the use of mobile phones at polling stations, photographic appliances and other recording equipment will be prohibited.
Election Day bans
On election day, today starting from 06:00 to 24:00, in any case will be forbidden to sell alcoholic beverages as well as supplying and drinking alcoholic drinks in public spaces and where drinking alcoholic liquor is allowed.
During the voting process in public entertainment venues such as cafeterias, local and internet cafes will be closed, while in the restaurants in the quality of entertainment venues can only be offered food service. The weddings also in accordance with established rules and prohibitions may take place after 18:00. Radio and all media types on election day will not give news, forecasts, and comments about the election until 18:00. On the day of voting, radio and all kinds of media can publish the newsw of the HEC and announcements about the election around 18:00 to 21:00. All publications will be free after 21:00 but if deemed necessary by HEC, will be possible to decide to release the broadcast before 21:00.
We remind that in Turkey live about 5 million citizens of Albanan descent, some of them are well organised, and have a greate share in deciding the fate of some municipalties.