Half a million security personnel are on election duty, says Interior Ministry
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.
Presidential candidates and politicians casted their votes on Sunday in Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections. Six candidates are running for president: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the alliance (People's Alliance) formed by Turkey's ruling AK Party and the MHP, Muharrem İnce for CHP, Selahattin Demirtaş for HDP, Meral Akşener for the Good (İYİ) Party, Temel Karamollaoğlu for the Felicity (Saadet) Party, and Dogu Perinçek for the Patriotic (Vatan) Party.Presidential candidates, politicians cast votes in Turkey elections
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Armenian-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.
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’
Officials on Sunday rejected allegations that Free Syrian Army (FSA) members were casting votes at a district in the southern Turkish province of Hatay.The provincial governor's office in a statement said: "The claims on social media do not reflect the reality. Necessary investigation regarding the incident has been initiated."It added that Aşagıokçular Primary School in Defne district was designated as a polling station previously for special police force personnel who are performing duties in Syria's northwestern Afrin region, where Turkey is carrying out its anti-terror Operation Olive Branch.Turkish polls going on smoothly: Independent observerElection board assures election security in SE TurkeyErdoğan casts his vote for presidential, parliamentary electionsThe police forces voted at the polling station after showing their identification documents.Turkish voters are casting their votes in presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday.Turkey on Jan. 20 launched Operation Olive Branch to remove YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin.On March 18, Turkish troops and Free Syrian Army members liberated the town of Afrin, on the 58th day of the operation.
Officials reject vote irregularities in southern Turkey
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu is monitoring the polls at the Election Security Coordination Center in the ministry.He is accompanied by Muhterem Ince, undersecretary of Interior Ministry, Gen. Arif Cetin, gendarmerie forces commander, Erhan Gulveren, deputy head of directorate of general of security, Ekrem Canalp, head of general directorate of local administrations, and Selim Capar, head of security and emergency situation coordination center.Soylu receives latest developments regarding election security by local authorities via video conference.Erdoğan casts his vote for presidential, parliamentary electionsPortable ballot boxes go to sickly, elderly voters in Turkey elections for the first timeFemale presidential candidate Akşener votes in Turkey electionsInstant imaging from air and land are being captured by cameras of police and gendarmerie units, helicopters and drones.Turkish voters are casting their votes in presidential and parliamentary elections.Voting started at 8.00 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and will continue through 5.00 p.m. local time (1400GMT).Video: Turkish President Erdoğan casts his vote in Istanbul
Turkish interior minister monitors elections
Village 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).