Can Okar

Oh hello Brexit. I see you saw Turkish elections had made me politically happy for a few fleeting moments and have decided to take a shit on that happiness. Can’t believe I’m seeing the day when the UK has become more politically dysfunctional than Turkey. Bravo lads.

And with that, I think I will sleep properly for the first time in 48 hours. Good luck and bon courage to all in Istanbul and Ankara engaged in ballot protection. Let’s all hope spring really does follow March :)

I note the first few replies have been, “Well they’ll do it anyway” or “they don’t care.” Perhaps but they shouldn’t do it and they should care. Not everyone in Turkey realize how perilous the finances are - these are the few months that will define Turkey’s economic future.

So if the AKP considers transparently illegitimate ways to keep opposition out or to punish their cities’ finances, I would urge caution. Same goes for trying to escalate FP conflict to shore up support. Now really is the time for cool heads.

I have a lot of new followers after last night’s shenanigans so welcome to all of you! I usually write about the economy so apologies if that isn’t your thing. But the fact is Turkey remains at an economic precipice. Any missteps now would have deeply felt consequences.

It would be deeply counterproductive for AKP to starve CHP municipalities of money (if they indeed allow them to transfer to the CHP). Those cities are the economic engines of Turkey, whether finance, tourism or other FDI. Forcing their decline would kill the entire economy.

It is possible that one or two ballots were incorrectly entered by one of those three distinct entities. It is improbable to the point of impossibility that all three have mis-entered over 30,000 votes worth of ballots. Unless you're arguing they colluded which seems fanciful.

AKP claims that Istanbul votes were mis-entered into the system is baffling. CHP vote tally matches both YSK tally and AA tally WHICH THE YSK SAID WAS DONE INDEPENDENTLY OF THEM. Are the AKP suggesting all three made the same mistakes or that AA or YSK are suddenly anti-AKP?

Actually, if they advertised the need for said accountants, I’m willing to bet hundreds of qualified candidates would volunteer to do it. It’s a massive project if you’re going to it to the right level of forensic detail.

CHP should find the money to hire dozens of qualified forensic accountants. They need to draw up an accurate fiscal picture from day one and record it meticulously. Like photos you take of your rented apartment on move-in day, it will be important evidence for later.

I have been a Turkish election observer many times. Every spoiled ballot causes a debate and there is an AKP observer in literally every ballot room in Istanbul. Which is to say there is 100% no way 30,000 votes were incorrectly cancelled. Thank u, next!

Now that Istanbul has gone red, it’s time to say what so many others are thankfully saying: now is the time for the opposition to reach across the aisle and embrace AKP supporters. The economy is still the same, the problems still exist. We have to find a way to work together.

Do you want me to fly over there and paint the map red myself? Just do it - 25 years of this means we all need the catharsis of a red Istanbul map on the AA website.https://twitter.com/aacanli/status/1112618611645005824 …

I know I'm passively aggressively starting too many tweets with "OK". Apologies, my mood is still utter shock, mixed in with delight, sprinkled with anger that the map still has not gone red.

OK, foreign media, a couple more tips from Turkey: 1) AKP did not get 51.7% of the vote, they apparently got 44.4% - the higher number is the alliance figure 2) These are local elections so that is not a victory. They lost every major city. Should be reported as such

If you think you have a tough job this Monday morning, remember you could be a "journalist" working for the AKP media in Turkey. They literally have no idea what to report anymore. Utter confusion. *Turkish really needs a word for schadenfreude*

Also got very tetchy when asked about the AA. "They're not my customer", he says, arguing their numbers were their own. The only bigger loser than the AKP last night was the AA. It was a major embarrassment for them and continues to be so.