Turkey to open polls in 54 countries for November vote

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

DHA photo

Turkey is preparing voting stations for Turkish nationals living abroad, with 112 to be opened in 54 countries before the Nov. 1 general election, the country’s electoral authority said on Sept.1.

The Supreme Election Board (YSK) said the overseas polls would be open between Oct. 8 and Oct. 25.

The polling stations will be located in embassies and consulates in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, although Turkish citizens will also be able to vote at diplomatic missions in places such as Thailand and China.

The November election rerun was called after the June 7 vote failed to produce a party with a majority and coalition talks proved fruitless.

Around 1 million Turks based abroad voted in the June election.

On Aug. 25, the top election authority set Nov. 1 as the exact date for Turkey’s early elections, with its head stating it took “seasonal conditions” into consideration while making its decision.

The announcement by YSK President Sadi Güven came on Aug. 25, a few hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan officially tasked Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu with forming an interim government to lead the country to a new election, after two months of coalition talks failed to produce a working government. 

Davutoğlu had returned the mandate to form a new government to Erdoğan on Aug. 18. The 45-day deadline on the formation of a new government expired on Aug. 23, paving the way for fresh elections within 90 days.

Speculation had mounted over the possible impact of an election on Nov. 1, as there is an official holiday in the preceding days. It is thought that some civil servants may be planning to extend their one-day official Republic Day holiday on Oct. 29, negatively impacting voter turnout.