More than 59 million eligible Turkish voters in snap election: Election Board

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

There are a total of 59.4 million eligible voters in Turkey and abroad, Supreme Election Board (YSK) Chairman Sadi Güven said on May 14.

According to Güven, there are 56.34 million eligible voters in Turkey and 3 million Turkish expats entitled to cast their votes in the June 24 snap presidential and parliamentary elections.

The number of first-time voters is 1.65 million, while a total of 180,869 ballot boxes will be set up on polling day, Güven added.

Turkish expats will vote in 60 countries at 123 diplomatic representations.

In 2015, Turkey held two parliamentary elections on June 7 and Nov. 1. The number of eligible voters was 57 million in the June elections and 54 million in the November poll.

The corresponding figure for 2017 was 58.3 million. In the April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters narrowly approved the switch from a parliamentary system to a presidential system.

Crucial elections

Parliament passed a bill on April 20 calling for early presidential and parliamentary elections, which will cement Turkey’s shift to an executive presidential system.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) formed what they call a “People’s Alliance” and are jointly supporting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is seeking his second term as president.

Erdoğan has served as president since 2014 as Turkey’s first popularly elected president. Before that, he served as prime minister from 2003 to 2014.

On May 5, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the İYİ (Good) Party, the Felicity (Saadet) Party, and the Democrat Party (DP) signed a declaration marking a four-way election alliance called the “National Alliance,” pledging to “remove polarization, instill independence of the judiciary and ensure basic rights and freedoms.”

Muharrem İnce is the CHP’s presidential candidate.

İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener and (SP) leader Temel Karamollaoğlu collected the required 100,000 signatures to be a presidential candidate and to qualify to run in the presidential elections on June 24.

Homeland Party (VP) leader Doğu Perinçek on May 9 also reached the required 100,000 signatures.