Dizdarlı Warns Of Risks If Local And Parliamentary Elections Are Held On Same Day

Commenting on a proposal recently brought to the agenda to hold local and parliamentary elections together on December 6, 2026, Dizdarlı noted that presidential and parliamentary elections are held every five years, while local government elections take place every four years.

She said some politicians have argued in favour of conducting both elections on the same day.

Dizdarlı pointed out that election processes are administered by the Supreme Election Council and District Election Boards, recalling that the sheet ballot system used in the last parliamentary elections had already made voting more complicated for voters.

She said the size of ballot papers prolonged voting times, increased the number of invalid votes and created significant difficulties for polling station officials during the counting process. According to Dizdarlı, these challenges also delayed the announcement of election results.

Noting that voters are more likely to make mistakes under such conditions, she said this could prevent voter preferences from being accurately reflected in the results. Errors during vote counting, she added, could further delay the publication of official results.

Dizdarlı, who served for many years on both District Election Boards and the Supreme Election Council, said she had closely observed the difficulties experienced during election periods.

“Based on my experience, holding both elections on the same day would be extremely wrong,” she said.

She also argued that the technical infrastructure of the Supreme Court is not sufficient to manage two elections simultaneously, warning that announcing the results could take several days in such a scenario.

Dizdarlı further stated that it could become more difficult to recruit enough personnel to serve on polling station committees if both elections were held on the same day.

Calling on the government to thoroughly evaluate all aspects of the proposal before making a decision, she stressed the importance of acting prudently in order to avoid foreseeable difficulties and potential regrets later on.