Turkish political parties submit MP candidate lists

Turkish political parties submitted their list of parliamentary candidates contesting the June 24 early elections to the Supreme Board of Election (YSK) in capital Ankara on Monday.

Ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) officials visited the YSK and submitted their lists.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will stand as candidates from western İzmir province.

Eight political parties are contesting the early elections: AK Party, CHP, HDP, Free Cause (Huda-Par) Party, newly-formed Good (IYI) Party, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Felicity (Saadet) Party and the Patriotic (Vatan) Party.

For the first time in Turkish political history, political parties will go to election by forming alliances. Also, mobile ballot boxes, presidential candidate with 100,000 signatures and the fact that presidential and parliamentary elections both would be held on the same day are some of the firsts in this election process.

Turkey's ruling AK Party and MHP will enter the race as an alliance while CHP, IYI Party, SP and Democrat Party (DP) will participate as part of the other alliance.