All Turkish political parties have nominated Armenian candidates to receive the votes—in the forthcoming local government elections—of the Armenians living in the densely-Armenian-populated Bakirkoy Municipality of Metropolitan Istanbul.  

In the lead-up to the March 30 elections, both the ruling party and the opposition parties nominated Armenian candidates in Bakirkoy, where there are about 20,000 Armenian voters, reports Haberler website of Turkey.   

In this context, however, the Turkish websites consider striking the fact that the ultra-nationalist and opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has nominated two Armenian candidates. Nerses Yeremyan and Elmas Giragos are first and fifth, respectively, on the MHP list of candidates for the Bakirkoy Municipality Council members.    

The similar list of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) likewise has two Armenians: Arev Cebeci, and Margarit Dikme.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), on the other hand, has introduced three Armenian candidates: Levon Noray Ozant, Antranik Sirinoglu, and Antranik Diktas. 

As reported earlier, newly founded Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has nominated Armenian woman Nivart Bakircioglu as mayoral candidate for Bakirkoy.