Turkey seeks approval for polling stations in Germany

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

Turkey has made a formal request to Germany for setting up polling stations at Turkish consulates for the June 24 early polls, officials said on Monday.

Around 1.4 million Turkish immigrants living in Germany are eligible to vote in Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections.

If German authorities positively respond to Ankara’s request, Turkish immigrants will cast their ballots from June 4-17 at the Turkish consulates and other polling stations, officials have said.

In the case of a second round of voting for presidential elections, Turkish citizens will be able to cast their votes from June 30 to July 4, according to officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

In March last year, more than 697,000 Turkish immigrants in Germany went to the polls in Turkey’s constitutional referendum that proposed a transition to a presidential system. The voter turnout was 49 percent.