Turks in Australia cast votes for June’s general election

MELBOURNE – Anadolu Agency

Cihan Photo

Turkish citizens living in Australia went to polling stations on May 8 to become the first to cast their ballots in Turkey’s June 7 general election.

Polling stations in Australia, which are stationed at Melbourne and Sydney’s Turkish Consulate Generals and Canberra’s Turkish Embassy, opened at 10.00 a.m. and closed at 7.00 p.m. Turkey’s Supreme Election Board announced earlier that 112 polling stations would be opened in 54 countries to serve close to 3 million Turkish nationals who live abroad. Melahat Özkan, the first voter at the Melbourne station, expressed her excitement about voting for the first time in Australia.

After submitting her ballot in the morning, she had hope that the election was to be beneficial and lucky for Turkey.

“Like every citizen, we want the very best for our homeland and people. God willing, there will only be better days after this [election] for our homeland,” she said.     

Turks living in Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Switzerland and the Turkish Cyprus will be able to vote from May 8 to May 31.

Turkish citizens outside the country who are casting their votes at border-crossing points will have until June 7 to cast their votes.

June’s contest will elect 550 members of parliament from 20 political parties competing in the country’s 25th general election.