IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 449 

Expressing support for a genuinely democratic repeat mayoral election in 

Istanbul, Turkey. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 19, 2019 

Mr. KEATING (for himself and Mr. WILSON of South Carolina) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for a genuinely democratic repeat 

mayoral election in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Whereas, on March 31, 2019, the Republic of Turkey held 

local elections across each of its 81 provinces; 

Whereas this local election cycle included the election of 30 

metropolitan and 1,351 district municipal mayors as well 

as 1,251 provincial and 20,500 municipal councilors; 

Whereas more than 57,000,000 Turkish citizens were registered to vote and turnout was high with just under 85 

percent of registered voters casting their vote; 

Whereas this election was the first to be held since the country transitioned from a parliamentary to a Presidential 

system; 


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•HRES 449 IH 

Whereas following the release of electoral results indicating a 

victory by a candidate from the opposition Republican 

People’s Party, the ruling Justice and Development 

Party (AKP) alleged that electoral irregularities invalidated the results of the election; 

Whereas, on May 7, 2019, the Turkish Supreme Election 

Council announced its decision to invalidate the results of 

the Istanbul mayoral election, citing irregularities in the 

administration of the polling stations, even though the results of the Istanbul district and provincial council elections, which the AKP won, will stand; 

Whereas a repeat election for Istanbul mayor has been called 

for June 23, 2019; 

Whereas these developments contributed to a perception that 

the invalidation was politically motivated; and 

Whereas such perceptions, regardless of their accuracy, can 

erode public confidence in electoral institutions: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog2 nizes that— 

3 (1) the peaceful change of government through 

4 legitimate elections is a hallmark of democracy; 

5 (2) the United States national security benefits 

6 from alliances with strong, resilient democracies; 

7 (3) to restore confidence in democratic electoral 

8 institutions, Turkey’s government, political, and 

9 electoral leaders should make every effort to ensure 

10 that the conduct of the June 23 repeat election comVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:39 Jun 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR449.IH HR449

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•HRES 449 IH 

1 plies with Turkish law and meets or exceeds Tur2 key’s commitments as a participating state of the 

3 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eu4 rope (OSCE) and international standards for a fair, 

5 transparent, and competitive process; 

6 (4) to enhance confidence and transparency, 

7 credible, nonpartisan Turkish and international ob8 servers should be invited and supported to monitor 

9 electoral processes; and 

10 (5) in keeping with mutual OSCE commit11 ments, the United States should continue to support 

12 the strengthening of democracy and human rights in 

13 Turkey, including elections that inspire public trust 

14 and reflect the will of voters. 

Æ 


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