Turkey’s high-stakes mayoral races are expected to be close. Volunteer monitors will be key

By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — With local elections across Turkey days away, legal experts are coaching thousands of volunteer election monitors on the rules they’ll need to watch for fraud and ensure a fair vote. The vote Sunday will determine who controls offices across Turkey, from major municipalities to tiny districts and villages. With some high-stakes races expected to be tight, and the possibility of tampering a concern, the volunteer monitors could be pivotal. In 2019, President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party used claims of irregularities to force a do-over of an election in Istanbul. Now, Erdogan is seeking to win back large cities like Istanbul and the capital Ankara, where his party lost to the opposition.