Millions went to the polls in Turkey and North Kurdistan today to elect local administrations who will be serving for the next 5 years.

In line with the decision of Supreme Election Board (YSK), voting procedures that started at 7am this morning have been completed at 16:00 local time in the cities of Adıyaman, Ağrı, Artvin, Bingöl, Bitlis, Amed, Elazığ, Erzincan, Erzurum, Antep, Giresun, Gümüşhane, Hakkari, Kars, Malatya, Maraş, Mardin, Muş, Ordu, Rize, Siirt, Sivas, Trabzon, Dersim, Urfa, Van, Bayburt, Batman, Şırnak, Ardahan, Iğdır and Kilis.

Voting in other cities will end at 5pm and counting will begin once all the ballot boxes are closed.

The ban on the media will be removed at 9pm in the evening but the coverage of Sunday’s election could also begin earlier in the event of an approval by the Supreme Election Board.

Sunday’s voting took place amid reports and documents of fraud in several cities while the Kurdish people went to the polls under the siege of military and police forces.

In Pötürge district of Malatya, an AKP polling clerk shot dead two observers from the Saadet Party.

European delegations that came to the Kurdish region to observe the elections on HDP’s invitation have also been affected by the repression of the state forces.

Sonia Helene Rosset and Noemi Colombo from an Italian delegation were taken into custody by the police in Hani district of Amed.