Turkey’s election board says ministers don't have to resign to be deputy candidates

Turkey's election board (YSK) has rejected objections against ministers’ deputy candidacies for the parliament. The opposition parties had applied to the YSK in order for ministers to resign from their posts to be deputy candidates because they are “public servants.”

Wednesday April 19 2023 12:23 pm

This file photo shows YSK headquarters

Duvar English

Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) has unanimously rejected opposition parties' objections against deputy candidacies of ministers without resigning from their posts.

The parties had objected to the minister’s candidacies on the grounds that they are “public servants.” According to the Article 18 of the Parliamentary Election Law, the civil servants who want to be deputy candidates have to resign from their posts before applying for the candidacy.

The YSK ruled that ministers cannot be considered public servants because their appointment procedures are different and they take an oath in the Parliament, according to reporting by Habertürk on April 18.

All ministers except Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, and Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy were nominated as deputy candidates under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) list. Erdoğan is expected to radically change the cabinet should he continue to stay in power.

The opposition argues that the ministers' candidacy might pose a danger to the election security if they stay in their offices.

Before 2017, Justice, Interior, and Transportation ministers were resigning from their post before the election to maintain the integrity of the election security. The AKP government abolished this regulation with the 2017 referendum in which Turkey became a presidential regime.

The parliamentary and presidential elections will be held together on May 14 in a historic year as 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey.