AK Party’s Diyarbakir candidate votes in Turkish polls

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

Ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s mayoral candidate for the southeastern Diyarbakir province cast his ballot in Turkey’s local elections in Diyarbakir on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, Cumali Atilla said he hopes the local elections will bring prosperity to the people.

"I expect all our citizens to go to polls safely and peacefully and reflect their will to the ballots," Atilla stressed.

Sunday’s polls mark the first local elections in Turkey under the new presidential system of government, adopted in the April 2017 referendum.

Voting started at 7 a.m. local time (0400GMT) and will continue through 4 p.m. local time (1300GMT) in 32 out of Turkey’s 81 provinces.

In the remaining provinces, polling stations have opened at 8 a.m. local time (0050GMT) and will close at 5 p.m. local time (1400GMT).