Turkish citizens in UK to vote in referendum early April

LONDON – Anadolu Agency

Turks living in the U.K. will go to polling stations early April for Turkey’s April 16 referendum on constitutional changes.

Turkish citizens will be able to cast their votes in London and the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, between April 6 and 9, Turkey’s consul general in London said.        

Addressing new changes introduced this year, Çınar Ergin said citizens can now cast their votes in different stations, not just the one they are registered with.        

Ergin said a registered voter could cast his or her vote at any polling station in any foreign country.        
 
“The entire area abroad has been turned into a single election region. So in order to cast a vote somewhere, there is no need to be living in the consulate’s activity zone. Our citizens registered abroad can cast votes at any polling station abroad,” he added.    
    
 “They can vote in the U.K., Australia, Germany, U.S., France, or wherever they want to do it. They just need to be registered as a voter abroad,” he said.     
   
Ergin said the votes casted abroad would be counted in Turkey.        

Voters in the U.K. can cast their votes between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the Novotel Congress Center in London and at the Turkish Consulate in Edinburgh.        

Three countries added        

In addition, Turkish citizens abroad will be able to vote in three more countries for the April 16 referendum, according to electoral sources.        

Sources at the Supreme Board of Elections, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, previously said Luxembourg, Singapore and Iraq were added to the countries where ballots will be available, all of them are new additions since the last general elections held in November 2015.        

On Nov. 1, 2015, Turkish citizens voted in 113 Turkish missions in 54 countries. On April 16, ballots will be available at 120 missions in 57 countries.        

In Turkish missions in Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Denmark and Switzerland, the voting process will start on March 27 and last through April 9.    
    
In other Turkish missions, the voting will start later but last the same day.        

Citizens in Japan, China and South Africa will be able to vote in Turkish missions there only on April 9.
        
At customs gates, voting will start on March 27 and end on April 16.