Binali Yıldırım
Turkey’s prime minister praised the Supreme Election Council (YSK) for successfully carrying out the nation’s presidential and general elections on Sunday.
“The months of preparations by the YSK are one of the reasons why these elections have taken place so calmly and successfully,” Binali Yıldırım told reporters in the capital Ankara.
Polling in Turkish elections ended at 5.00 p.m. (1400GMT) on Sunday.
Polling in Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections ended at 5.00 p.m. (1400GMT) on Sunday.With the polls officially closed, electoral committees across the country’s 81 provinces have started counting the ballots.Votes were cast in 180,065 polling places across the country.For the first time in Turkish history, political parties run in the elections by forming electoral alliances.Video: Polls close in Turkey's electionsFake voters in east Turkey face legal proceedingsTurkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) formed an alliance dubbed the “People’s Alliance” while the Republican People's Party (CHP), İYİ (Good) Party and the Felicity Party have constituted another dubbed the “Nation’s Alliance.”Six candidates are running for president, while eight political parties are contending in the parliamentary elections.In April, Parliament passed a bill calling for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey’s move from a parliamentary to a presidential system. In an April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters approved the switch.Under the changes, the number of lawmakers in parliament rises from 550 to 600, presidential and parliamentary elections will be held every five years, and presidents can retain ties to their political party. The prime minister post is also abolished.Turkish voters go to polls amid foolproof securityMalaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim backs Turkey’s Erdoğan‘Turkey’s election is a source of hope for the region’s oppressed’
Voting officially ends in Turkish presidential, parliamentary elections
With the polls officially closed, electoral committees across the country’s 81 provinces have started counting ballots.
Votes were cast in 180,065 polling places across the country.
Voting at Turkish customs gates with adjoining countries, which began on June 7, has also ended.
Votes by Turks living abroad who cast their ballots in 60 countries at 123 embassies and consulates will be counted at the same time in the capital Ankara.
Legal proceedings have been initiated against four people over election rigging attempts in the eastern Turkish province of Agri, the governor's office said on Sunday.They include three people who attempted to cast fake votes and an opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) observer for abetting them.The accused attempted to cast votes using forged ballot papers, which they presumably copied from the internet, according to a statement.Officials identified the fake papers as they were not carrying a seal by the election council.‘Turkey’s election is a source of hope for the region’s oppressed’Turkish polls going on smoothly: Independent observerElection board assures election security in SE Turkey"Legal proceedings have been initiated against the people who attempted to cast the fake ballot papers and an HDP observer who stealthily placed the fake ballot papers into their pockets," said the governor's office.Voting started at 8.00 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and will continue through 5.00 p.m. local time (1400GMT).
Fake voters in east Turkey face legal proceedings
Polls in Turkey continue peacefully, according to the Interior Ministry.Foolproof security was ensured across the country during the presidential and parliamentary elections, according to a statement.Half a million security personnel performed duties, including 264,526 police personnel, 195,695 gendarme, 50,793 security guards and 19,993 voluntary security guards.Galeri: Presidential candidates, politicians cast votes in Turkey electionsArmenian-origin Turkish citizens also cast their votes in Turkey's only Armenian village Vakifli in southern Hatay province.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, some voters in the village expressed their best wishes for the election result.‘Turkey’s election is a source of hope for the region’s oppressed’Officials reject vote irregularities in southern TurkeyTurkish interior minister monitors electionsVillage head Berc Kartun said there are 102 voters in the village."We hope to have elections free of clashes and accidents," Kartun added.Voting started at 8.00 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and will continue through 5.00 p.m. local time (1400GMT).
Turkish voters go to polls amid foolproof security
As Turkey heads to the polls in a decisive election on Sunday, the Middle East holds it breath in anticipation of the results that promise to shape the future of the region. The oppressed people of Palestine, Syria, Iraq and Libya, who look to Turkey as a beacon of hope in a region rocked by turmoil and instability, hope that the June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections will tip the balance in favor of the disenfranchised people of the Middle East. Billboards went up across Kuwait, Qatar, Morocco, Algeria, among other countries in the region, showing support for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the elections, while millions of social media users in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE prayed for the victory of Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.Ahmad Toma, former president of Syria’s interim government, said, “June 24 is not only Turkey's election but it's the hope of all the oppressed.”“We’re all Erdoğan”Placards that read, “We’re all Erdoğan” were raised during the events that followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s Jerusalem decision. Abu Ayman, the head of the Syrian Palestinian Delegation, pointed that even “the prospect of the region without Erdoğan would be a very grim landscape.”For the first time in Turkish history, political parties went to elections by forming alliances.Turkey’s ruling AK Party and the MHP formed an alliance (People’s Alliance) while the main opposition CHP, the IYI Party, and the Felicity Party constituted another (Nation Alliance).Video: Turkish President Erdoğan casts his vote in Istanbul‘The people of Iraq stand beside Turkey’ Kurds, Turkmens and Arabs in Iraq, which recently went to the polls in a disputed election, expressed their support for Erdoğan and the People’s Alliance.Ömer Aydoğdu, a leader from Iraq’s Turkmen Front, pointed that for the Iraqi people, the elections carry great importance when it comes to influencing the region’s destiny and foiling global ploys. With the exception of a minority who sympathizes with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terror organization or sectarian fanatics, the majority of Iraqis stand beside the Turkish president, says Aydoğdu, who is also a Turkmen from Kirkuk. “Erdoğan was the lead actor that foiled the global ploy being staged during the Sept. 25 elections in northern Iraq.”Six candidates are running for president, while eight political parties are contending in Turkey’s parliamentary elections.In April, Parliament passed a bill calling for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey’s move from a parliamentary to a presidential system. In an April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters approved the switch.Under the changes, the number of lawmakers in parliament rises from 550 to 600, presidential and parliamentary elections will be held every five years, and presidents can retain ties to their political party. The prime minister post is also abolished.Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has served as president since 2014, and is Turkey's first popularly-elected president. Before that, he served as prime minister from 2003 to 2014.Erdoğan would be Turkey's first leader to rule under the presidential system should he win the election.Turkish polls going on smoothly: Independent observerElection board assures election security in SE TurkeyErdoğan casts his vote for presidential, parliamentary elections
‘Turkey’s election is a source of hope for the region’s oppressed’