Turkish main opposition voices concerns of potential fraud in overseas votes in polls

ANKARA

‘We are concerned about potential fraud,’ deputy leader of the CHP, Faruk Loğoğlu says. AA photo

The deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Faruk Loğoğlu, has expressed concerns about potential fraud in the overseas voting system, which will be implemented for the first time in Turkey’s upcoming presidential election in August.

Loğoğlu referred to the fraud concerns that emerged around the recent March 30 local elections, particularly in the tight mayoral race in Ankara.

“Given the government’s recent performance in the local polls, we are concerned about potential fraud,” he said at a press conference on April 21.

Some 2.5 million Turkish citizens living abroad will be eligible to vote in the election, equaling around 5-6 percent of the total.

Ballot won’t be count in original location

Loğoğlu said a particular concern was the fact that the ballots would not be counted in their original locations, but rather would be brought back to Turkey.

He also said it was still unclear how the overseas votes would be counted according to the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) recently proposed new model of single member districts.
“The single member district [model] is dictatorship,” Loğoğlu stated.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as well as opposition parties the CHP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has appealed to the March 30 local elections results in several cities, demanding recount of the votes or cancellation of the elections on the ground that the fraud involved in vote counting.

The administration of Yalovo province was shifted from the AKP to the CHP after the recount of the votes.