Vacationers’ rush for voting triggers traffic

ISTANBUL / ÇANAKKALE

Electors are racing with time to return from holiday and cast their vote. AA Photo

Many Turkish citizens have cut short or interrupted their summer holidays to vote in the country’s first presidential elections by popular vote, triggering large traffic jams, especially in places close to Istanbul.

The Çanakkale pier, a link between the Asian and European sides of the country, became busy as citizens and cars headed from Istanbul to their hometowns to cast their vote, causing a large traffic jam in Çanakkale’s city center.

A large queue of cars began piling up at the pier in the afternoon of Aug. 9.

Another large queue of cars, nearly 10 kilometers long, lined up in Afyonkarahisar, located in the center of the country. This year, Afyonkarahisar has become a junction for holiday goers who are returning to their hometowns to vote.

The turnout for today’s vote is an enigma, as it is currently high season, leaving many Turkish citizens to postpone their summer holidays until after Ramadan, the holy month of fasting that ended on July 27.

Turkish citizens must vote at polling stations close to their residential addresses unless they are living abroad.