2015 parliamentary election calendar announced

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

DHA Photo

The election calendar of the 2015 Turkish parliamentary elections officially starts on March 10, when the Supreme Election Board will announce the overseas embassies and consulates where Turkish nationals living abroad can cast their votes.

The elections are scheduled to take place on June 7.

According to the Supreme Election Board’s calendar, parties that will participate in the elections must give it their lists of MP nominees by April 7. The Supreme Election Board will announce the list of deputy nominees on April 24.

Turkish nationals living abroad will cast their votes between May 8 and May 31.

The voting in Turkey will take place on June 7, between 08:00 a.m. and 17:00 p.m.

A total of 31 parties will participate in the parliamentary elections, including the four parties currently represented at parliament: The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

The latest population census published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on Dec. 31, 2014 revealed that Turkey has a population of 77,695,904. In the June election, the country will be divided into 85 electoral districts in 81 provinces, with a total of 550 deputies to be elected to parliament.