Watch: Turkish politician killed while celebrating election win

A member of the CHP party died after a balcony collapsed during victory celebration.

A celebration of a local election win in the Turkish city of Denizli turned deadly for Türkiye’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), with one person killed and seven others injured.

The accident occurred overnight as party members and supporters gathered to celebrate the victory of Kadir Tatik in his campaign for the local municipality head’s office, after preliminary results of the election were announced.

Footage from the scene shows multiple party members gathered on a balcony of a building, with a crowd of onlookers cheering them on outside. The balcony is seen abruptly collapsing, coming clean off the rest of the structure.

🇹🇷‼️🚨 “Deputy head of the Turkish opposition party Mehmet Palaz died as a result of a balcony collapse during election victory celebrations. Another 8 people were hospitalized.”
– IHA agency

Imagine, you just won the elections and this happens, unlucky. pic.twitter.com/7p8EXRQpO4

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) April 1, 2024

The accident left eight party members who were standing on the balcony injured. Three people received serious injuries, with one of them, the deputy head of the local CHP chapter, Mehmet Palaz, dying in hospital shortly afterwards.

The fatal accident mars a convincing victory secured by the CHP at the Turkish local elections, held throughout the country on Sunday. The party secured a major win against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), attracting nearly 38% of the votes nationally, compared to just over 35% secured by its main rival.

The opposition party is now set to take control of the capitals of at least 35 out of Türkiye’s 81 provinces, including most of the country’s largest cities. The AKP candidates won only 24 provincial capitals, losing more than a third of the posts it had held prior to the election.