Living through first local elections in #Turkey After 32 years!!! The dynamics & methods are so different than US- In some ways cute & funny. Every 15 min Painted vans blasting music for each different party passing by my house!!! My dog’s been going nuts for the past 14 days!!!

The District Head showed up at my door this morning (at 8!)- gave me all the documentations and location for info for the voting boots. I am so Not used to this. Very interesting. Very different!!!

When compared with USA the cost of running for office is sooooo much lower. TV spots not in the equation. Volunteers, a few painted-postered vans making rounds, and yes: music, music, music.

You know how 50% no-vote people in US? Well here, that concept is treated as “Outragous”! I made a mistake if telling someone:”Not sure if I’m going to cast votes...” and the response: Shock!!! Horror! Unthinkable!!!

#TurkeyElections: The thing is, everyone, by that EVERYONE, is voting based on Party-Lines this time. The personalities, track records, even messages: irrelevant. Very interesting.

I can definitely, with 100% certainty, predict the results for this region: Aegean Coast (#Mugla #Aydin #Izmir etc). There will be NO surprises here.

#TurkeyElections: Just saw this!- - - “Pro-Kurdish party members detained before Turkey's elections” vancouversun.com/pmn/news-pmn/p…

Not good. Not good at all.

Soooo, am I going to vote tomorrow?

This from TRT - - - “The race for Ankara may come to define Turkey's local elections” @TRTWorld trtworld.com/opinion/the-ra…

#TurkishElections- Interesting; keep in mind, it had to be approved & sanctioned before publication;-)- - - A view from Russia on Turkish municipal elections sabahdai.ly/F52Ahu

This the latest from Sputnik (Hocus Pocus?)- - - ”Turkish Cities to Change Hands After Elections Without Erdogan's Power - Experts”: sputniknews.com/analysis/20190… via @SputnikInt

They run this based on their “experts”- the question: how do they qualify these sources as “experts”? Based on what criteria? Especially #Sputnik

#TurkeyElections- And it begins. The polls close at 17:00. - - - ”Turkey local elections: Voters go to polls in key municipal vote” @AJENews aje.io/egbdn

#TurkeyElections- Wow! Just leaving the Vote Center! No computers! No software business involved!! Good Old Fashioned Selection byhand-stamp! Supervised by all party representatives. Organized. Clean. And no Computer-Software Mega Corporations Stained!!!

#TurkeyElections- #Ankara is exactly head-to-head (CHP=AKP); 38% of votes counted!!

#TurkeyElections- #Istanbul 4 point difference #AKP ahead; 38% of votes counted...

#TurkeyElections- #Ankara: #CHP is now ahead. #Istanbul : still 4 points; #AKP lead. 40% of votes counted so far...

#TurkeyElections- #Ankara: #CHO ahead by almost 1 point now. In #Istanbul the difference closer to 3 pints with #AKP leading. 42% of votes counted!!

#TurkeyElections- I’ll provide updates throughout the evening. Currently #Ankara led by #CHP by 1+ point. #Izmir led by #CHP by 20+ points. #Istanbul led by #AKP by 3.5 points. 44% of votes counted. Reporting from #Turkey #SibelEdmonds

#TurkeyElections- #Istanbul is a very close race, with 3 points #AKP lead. In #Ankara #CHP is widening the lead. Nearly 50% of votes in the country counted.... Reporting from #Turkey #SibelEdmonds

#TurkeyElections- 53% of Votes Counted. In #Ankara Opposition Party #CHP leads with 2 points. In #Istanbul #AKP leads with less than 3 points. #Izmir has #CHP in lead with 20 points margins.

#TurkeyElections- With 2.7 points difference in #İstanbul (#AKP Lead) & 2 Points Difference In #Ankara (#CHP Lead) All eyes are on #Istanbul & #Ankara Tonight!!!!

#TurkeyElections- in #Antalya, another significant district, the opposition #CHP is leading by 3 points.

#TurkeyElections- #AKP lead just dropped to 2.2 points in #Istanbul where 82% of votes counted. All eyes are on #Istanbul now!!!

#TurkeyElections- #Istanbul down to 2-Point Gap #AKP leafs now by 2 points over #CHP!

#TurkeyElections- #Ankara: Under 2-Point Gap With #CHP leafing. All eyes on #Ankara & #Istanbul!!! Including mine!

#TurkeyElections- #Ankara & #Istanbul: Both less than 2-point Gap. Reporting from #Turkey #SibelEdmonds

#TurkeyElections- Hmmmmm. No updated results in the last 10 min!

Still no updates...

#TurkeyElections- This the longest pause in updates...

#TurkeyElections- trying not to get paranoid...

#TurkeyElections- What’s Going On #Turkey #Türkiye? Longest pause in vote count???!!

Please give me your thoughts!

#TurkeyElections- The Vote Count Updates went from per minute to ... nothing on 15+ minutes!!

20 minutes!

#TurkeyElections- Okay, some updates, but no change for #Istanbul vote count update!!!

#TurkeyElections- This is not good. #Istanbul vote count not updated for nearly 30 minutes... Hm

#TurkeyElections- Again, all other places updated but not Vote Count Update for #Istanbul in almost 40 minutes...

Same thing: another refresh-uodate, but no update for #Istanbul Count!

#TurkeyElections- Have to raise the red flag on this one! #Istanbul Vite-Count Update appears to be suspended for almost 1 hr- while other areas’ counts updated. This seems fishy.

#TurkeyElections- Time to scream? What’s happening in #Istanbul on Vote Count & Updates with less than 2-point Gap!!!!!!!!

#TurkeyElections- Red Flag On #Istanbul Vote Count Update.

#TurkeyElections- They stopped counting and updating #Istanbul at 88% Vote-Count Mark; I’ve 1 hour ago. Why? The margin is 1.8 point difference with #AKP lead.

#TurkeyElections- This should have not happened. “This” has the potential of causing civil riots in #Turkey.

#TurkeyElections Update: Pres. #Erdogan press conf live now ...

#TurkeyElections- #Istanbul Vote-Count resumes again (after 1.5 hr pause)!! The difference now 1.5- point gap with #AKP leading. This is nail biting!!!!

#TurkeyElections- Down To 1.2-Point difference for #Istanbul!!!

#TurkeyElections- #AKP seems to have lost #Ankara- #CHP lead by ~3 points with 85% of votes counted. Only 1 point difference in #Istanbul With #AKP leading... Reporting from #Turkey #SibelEdmonds

#TurkeyElections- Less Than 1 point difference in #Istanbul

#TurkeyElections- I just checked US #MSM coverage of this elections: Zero Report On Anything Pertinent whatsoever;-)

#TurkeyElections- #Istanbul Vote-Count: Down To 0.5 Difference; with #AKP lead. Only half a point.

From @ragipsoylu: “With 96.4 percent of votes counted

Istanbul according to AK Party’s own election system

Less than 50.000 difference

AK Party: 49% 4.026.651
CHP: 48.41% 3.978.356”

#TurkeyElections- The last few minutes for #Istanbul With .4 difference #AKP lead. #Ankara goes to #CHP With 3 points.

This from latest @ragipsoylu: “ISTANBUL (don’t have a heart attack)

LESS THAN 24000 VOTES

With 98.18% counted

• AKP: 48.84% 4.089.329
• CHP: 48.56% 4.065.179

Source: AK Party internal election data”

#TurkeyElections- #Ankara Final: #CHP Wins.- - - “Opposition on course to claim Ankara in Turkish local elections” middleeasteye.net/node/126836 via @MiddleEastEye

#TurkeyElections- #Istanbul: 0.3 difference. A matter of 15,000 or less votes in a city of 20+ Million!!! Reporting from #Turkey #SibelEdmonds

#TurkeyElections #Istanbul: Only 0.2 Difference; about 10,000 votes, with 98% of votes counted in a city of 20+ Million.

#TurkeyElections Recap: Pres. #Erdogan’s #AKP got the majority in the country, but lost one of the most important cities, the Capital #Ankara. All eyes are in #Istanbul (The biggest & most important city) where #AKP leads by only 0.2 points (10K votes) with 98.5% votes counted.

#TurkeyElections All Eyes On #Istanbul: The Difference Of Less Than 8000 votes; 0.1 point difference with #AKP lead. The Most Important City In #Turkey (20+ Mil population). Final minutes... Reporting from #Turkey #SibelEdmonds

I’m sleepy. It is past 11pm here ... been up since 5:30 am. I want to see the final results, then bed time!

#TurkeyElections #Istanbul: Wow! Now it boils down to a few thousands votes!! No gap left between the Two candidates #AKP & #CHP! 99% of the votes counted!

#TurkeyElections- Say What??!!- - - BREAKING — AK Party candidate Binali Yildirim declares himself as the winner in Istanbul municipal race with a slim lead

Not true. Still hinges upon only a few thousand votes, with less than 99% of votes reported.

#TurkeyElections- Both candidates are at 48.7-48.7. With 99% of votes counted. It is BS to declare victory.

Just look at this!!! Neither can declare victory at this point! BS

#TurkeyElections: I don’t think there will be any “meaningful” victory declared for #Istanbul Tonight. Probably this will continue in the days to come with recounts and or court filings. This is NOT over. There is no definitive victory for either party- as if now.?

#TurkeyElections- The “Real” Results for #Istanbul Will Not be clearly defined or declared this evening. This will go into the coming days. That is, if all fair election rules & ethics are followed. Way too close to call it a victory for either party. With that good night.

#IstanbulSeçim sonucu henüz kesin olarak belirlenmemiş, gördüğüm izlediğim kadarıyla. Öyle kesin “şu” veya “bu” kazandı durum daha söz konusu değil. Yarın, belkide ondan sonraki günlerde netleşir. Herkese iyi akşamlar