Turks abroad continue to vote in early elections

By Davit Kachkachishvili

TBILISI, Georgia

Turkish expatriates in several countries cast ballots on Sunday in presidential and parliamentary polls that will be held in Turkey on June 24.

Fatma Ceren Yazgan, Turkey’s ambassador to Georgia, told Anadolu Agency that voting began at 9.00 a.m. local time (0500GMT) at the Turkish embassy in Tbilisi and Batum.

"We have 920 voters in Tbilisi and 881 in Batum," Yazgan said, adding that Turkish citizens would also be able to vote at Sarp Border Gate.

The Turkish expats in Azerbaijan began casting their votes at 8:00 a.m. local time (0400GMT) at the Turkish embassy in Baku and consulates in Nakhchivan and Ganja.

There are 5,209 eligible voters in Azerbaijan.

In Uzbekistan, the voting started at 9.00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) in Turkey’s embassy in Tashkent that will continue until 09.00 p.m. (1600GMT).

The voting also started in Erbil, the administrative capital of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region, on Sunday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Turkey's Consul General in Erbil Hakan Karacay said nearly 2,500 Turkish expats were eligible to vote in the region.

In Hungary, approximately 2,000 registered voters can cast their votes at Turkey’s Budapest Embassy building until 09.00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Sunday.

Voting in other countries

Voting in Serbia, Kosovo and Albania began at the Turkish embassies in Belgrade, Pristina and Tirana at 09.00 a.m. local time (0700GMT) that will continue until 09.00 p.m. (1900 GMT).

In Serbia, over 530 Turks will be able to cast their ballots for the very first time.

Turkish Ambassador in Belgrade Tanju Bilgic said the city is also hosting Turkish voters living in Croatia and Montenegro.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Turkish Ambassador in Kosovo Kivilcim Kilic said over 1,500 registered voters across the Balkan country are expected to head to polls.

The overall number in the Balkan states is about 30,000.

Also in South Africa, voting began on Sunday for 1,000 eligible Turkish voters at the country's Pretoria embassy building.

Turkish expatriates in Egypt are also casting their votes on Sunday in parliamentary and presidential elections.

The Turkish consulate in Cairo saw Turkish citizens waiting in a long queue to vote.

The voting started at the Turkish consulates in Cairo and Alexandria provinces at 9.00 a.m. local time (0700GMT) and it will end at 9.00 p.m. local time (1900GMT).

A total of 1,194 Turkish voters are eligible to cast their votes in Cairo, while 292 are slated to vote in Alexandria, according to the Turkish voter database in Egypt.

Meanwhile in Jordan, Turkish people residing in Jordan also went to polls on Sunday at the Turkish Embassy in Amman.

A total of 1,943 out of around 2,500 Turkish citizens living in Jordan are enlisted in the voter list, according to figures given by the Turkish embassy.

*Mehmet Yilmaz in Hungary, Bahtiyar Abdukerimov in Uzbekistan, Mazin Majeed and Asaad Baqal in Erbil, Rabie Abu Zamil in Egypt and Laith Joneidi in Jordan, Gokhan Kavak in South Africa; Sanela Crnovrsanin, Bojana Stojanovic and Dzihat Aliju from Albania, Kosovo and Serbia contributed to this story.