Fethiye is bracing itself for a visit by President Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan later this afternoon as campaigning for the upcoming local elections gathers pace.
The president is expected to attend a rally in the late afternoon after speaking at other events around the Muğla region.
His objective will be to whip up support among local voters for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) before the nation goes to the polls for local elections on Sunday, March 31.
The names for all those hoping to be selected for all 12 political parties across the country had to be submitted to election councils earlier this week (February 19).
However, the full list of chosen candidates won’t be announced until next Sunday (March 3).
Electing mayors
Turkey’s 30 city municipalities will be electing mayors while smaller districts will also choose theirs.
The elections will also decide who sits on the smaller city councils. More rural regions also choose their muktars and members of their own elder councils.
The different ballots are signified by different-coloured papers. White ballot papers are for electing city mayors; orange ones for provincial general councils; blue ones for district mayors; and yellow ones for city council members.
Each voter then places their completed papers into a single envelope which is then placed in the ballot box.
When to vote
Polling opens at different times with 32 municipalities voting between 7am and 4pm on March 31. However, at the moment, Muğla is scheduled to vote a little later, between 8am and 5pm. As ever, the serving of alcohol is prohibited on election day.
Counting starts immediately, with the first results expected from the middle of the evening onwards.
The parties vying for votes are: Justice and Development Party (AK Party); Republican People’s Party (CHP); Nationalist Movement Party (MHP); Good (IYI) Party; Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP); Independent Turkey Party (BTP); Grand Unity Party (BBP); Democrat Party (DP); Democratic Left Party (DSP); Saadet (Felicity) Party; Communal Democracy Party (TDP); and Patriotic (Vatan) Party.
Road closures
Road closures across Fethiye today are as follows; closed at 8pm last night were:
- Atatürk Street (the interchange between Köprübaşı junction and the Palm junction)
- Çarşı Street (between Kandönmezler and the Kavşağı interchange)
- Muzaffer Dontlu Street (between Sadi Berkmen Street and İnönü Boulevard)
- Gaffar Okan Street
- Köprübaşı 138. Street (in front of the Chamber of Commerce)
- Cahit Gündüz Street
- Pürşahbey Street
- 501/1 Street (in front of the Orka Hotel)
- 97. and 101. Street where a no parking or stopping zone will be imposed.
Closed from noon today are:
- Atatürk Street
- Gaffar Okan Street
- Muzaffer Dontlu Street
- İnönü Buolevard
- Çarşı Street
- Cahit Gündüz Street
- Pürşahbey Street
- 501/1, 97, 101 Sokak with connecting roads also closed to traffic.
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