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Eight people were killed and 28 others injured on Sunday in clashes amid the ongoing local elections in Turkey, private Dogan News Agency reported.
Two people died and nine others were wounded when they were fighting for the election of neighborhood units in Golbasi village of Kirikhan town of southern Hatay province, according to the report.
Six people were killed and five others wounded in a gunfight between candidates for neighborhood units and their relatives in southern Hilvan town of southern Sanliurfa province.
An 18-year-old substance-addicted man injured four members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a knife attack in southern Gaziantep province on Sunday, the report said.
Ten people were injured in fight as a group of around 50 supporters of the AKP attacked the supporters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) at a school building in the Kecioren district of the capital of Ankara. Afterward, the attackers, who reportedly used iron sticks and knives, were found by police officers at an oil station.
The Higher Election Board (YSK) has announced that a total of 52,695,831 people are eligible for voting at 177,044 polling stations in 81 provinces across Turkey.
The voting started at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and ended at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) in eastern part of Turkey. In the western part of the country voting was between 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and 5 p.m. ( 1500 GMT).
26 parties, including the ruling AKP, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party, are competing in the local elections.
The voters cast their ballots for mayors, administrators of district and provincial municipalities, and provincial city council members.
In the two main provinces of Ankara and Istanbul, the race ran between incumbent AKP mayors and challengers from the main opposition CHP.
The AKP, still popular despite a shake-up, is expected to embrace the local polls as the first party, local daily Sabah reported.
The AKP received 39.1 percent of votes in the 2009 local elections and 49.9 percent in national elections in 2011.
