Irregularities reported in election
ANKARA: The head of Turkey’s electoral commission says authorities have taken the “necessary initiatives” following reports of irregularities at voting stations in southeast Turkey.
Videos posted yesterday on social media appeared to show people voting in bulk at a ballot box in the town of Suruc, in Sanliurfa province, where four people were killed in a violent fight that erupted ahead of Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections.
Sadi Guven, the head of the High Electoral Board, said “administrative and criminal” procedures were launched.
Earlier, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the main opposition party, said “complaints” about irregularities had emerged in some eastern and southeastern regions and called on officials in charge of polling stations to remain impartial.
European election monitors criticised a Turkish decision to deny entry to two members for alleged bias against Turkey.
Peter Osusky, head of the delegation from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) in Europe Parliamentary Assembly said yesterday that all observers “are strongly adhering to so-called code of conduct” regardless of their political opinions.
Turkey denied entry to Andrej Hunko of Germany’s Left Party and Jabar Amin of Sweden’s small Environment Party “based on their publicly expressed political opinion.”
The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights decided to send 22 long-term and 350 short-term observers for Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections. Opposition leaders feared recent changes to electoral procedures could lead to voting fraud.
This week the Turkish state-run news agency carried a story suggesting that the OSCE observer mission was biased against Turkey. Ignacio Sanchez Amor, leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, called the story “a complete fabrication.”
Two main candidates posing a tough challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections have cast their votes and vowed vigilance amid fears of possible fraud.
Erdogan and his ruling party are seen as the frontrunners in the dual polls but for the first time in his 15-year-rule, the Turkish leader is facing a united and more energised opposition.
Rallies by Muharrem Ince of the secular opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, have drawn massive crowds, while Meral Aksener of the newly-formed nationalist Good Party is trying to attract conservative votes away from Erdogan’s ruling party.
Both leaders yesterday alluded to fears of vote-rigging. Ince voted in his home town of Yalova in northwest Turkey.
Aksener told reporters in Istanbul: “I hope these elections are beneficial and truly reflect the free will of the voters.” – AP