Expatriates will start going to the polls tomorrow for the Presidential Election and the 28th Term Parliamentary Election to be held on Sunday, May 14, 2023.
By the Supreme Election Council (YSK), ballot box committees were established in 73 countries and 156 foreign representations.
Voting procedures, which will start tomorrow for foreign voters, will continue until 9 May at foreign representative offices.
The voting process will start tomorrow at the customs gates prepared for those registered in the foreign election register to vote. Voting at the customs gates will end on Sunday, May 14, 2023, at 17.00.
Voters registered in the overseas electoral roll will be able to vote for 24 hours, including holidays.
There are 3 million 416 thousand 98 registered voters abroad. The number of voters who will cast their votes abroad for the first time is 277 thousand 646.
For these voters, 4,671 customs ballot box committees were established at the customs.
Voting in foreign representative offices can be done between 09.00 and 21.00 local time on weekdays and weekends, within the date range announced for that representative office, and between 09.00 and 18.00 local time in cities affiliated to the consulate generals.
Foreign voters will be able to vote at any of the designated representative offices or at any customs gate where ballot boxes are established, and there will be no need for an appointment for this process.
The YSK, which set up ballot boxes in the countries where Turks live , took ballot boxes to Belarus, Brazil, Estonia, Morocco , Montenegro, Republic of Korea, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Slovakia and Tanzania for the first time this year .
Voting will be held in 9 representative offices in the USA
According to YSK data, the country with the highest number of voters was Germany with 1 million 501 thousand 152. Germany was followed by France with 397 thousand 86 voters and the Netherlands with 286 thousand 753 registered voters.
Due to the high number of voters in Germany, voting will be possible in 26 representative offices.
In the United States (USA), where 134 thousand 246 voters will cast their votes, they will be able to vote in 9 representations.
According to the data, the country with the least number of voters was Brazil with 581, and Nigeria, where polling stations will be established for the first time in this election, was the second country with the least number of voters with 584 voters.
In France, which is determined as the second country with the highest number of Turkish voters after Germany with 397 thousand 86 registered voters, it will be possible to vote in 9 representations.
Voting will be possible in Austria, 6 representations, and 3 representations in Azerbaijan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Among the countries where ballot boxes will be established, the countries with the lowest number of voters are Brazil with 581, Nigeria with 584 voters, and Turkmenistan with 635 voters.
On the other hand, if the Presidential Elections reach the second round, votes can be cast on May 20-24 at the designated representative offices for the second round to be held on Sunday, May 28.
Foreign votes will come to Ankara under high security
After the end of the voting process abroad, the votes will be brought to Turkey by diplomatic couriers under high security, using the methods determined by the YSK.
These votes will be stored in the secure area at the ATO Congresium Fair Center in Ankara by the Presidency of the Overseas District Election Board.
In Turkey, on Sunday, May 14, at 17.00, after the completion of the voting process, it will be opened together with the other ballot boxes. Counting and casting of votes will be done under the supervision of the Presidency of the Overseas District Election Board.
How will foreign votes be distributed?
In the presidential election, the votes cast abroad and at the customs gates are directly reflected in the general votes of the candidates. These votes are added to the total votes received by the candidates in Turkey.
The valid votes abroad are distributed proportionally in the provincial electoral districts, according to the number of voters in the provinces in Turkey and the votes received by the parties in the parliamentary elections.
The 73 countries where ballot boxes will be established and the number of voters in these countries are as follows:
1- Germany: 1,501,152
2- USA: 134,246
3- Albania : 1,416
4- Australia: 53,902
5- Austria: 111.659
6- Azerbaijan: 11,036
7- Bahrain: 1,359
8- Belarus: 643
9- Belgium: 153.443
10 – United Arab Emirates: 12,757
11 – Bosnia and Herzegovina : 2,946
12- Brazil: 581
13- Bulgaria: 6.391
14- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: 127,281
15- Algeria: 2,280
16- Czech Republic: 3.018
17- China: 4.337
18- Denmark: 36,725
19- Estonia: 776
20- Morocco: 685
21-Finland: 6.791
22-France: 397,086
23- South Africa: 1,561
24- Georgia: 2.306
25-Netherlands: 286,753
26- Iraq: 5,738
27- Iran: 1,592
28 Ireland: 6,770
29-Spain: 7,430
30- Israel: 5.088
31- Sweden: 42,773
32-Switzerland: 105,820
33- Italy: 20,148
34- Japan: 5,672
35 Canada: 40,418
36- Montenegro : 1,704
37- Qatar: 10,868
38- Kazakhstan: 6,101
39- Kyrgyz Republic: 3.118
40- Korea: 866
41- Kosovo : 2,192
42- Kuwait: 4,725
43- TRNC 140.111
44- North Macedonia : 4,107
45- Libya: 1.132
46- Lithuania: 795
47- Lebanon: 8,325
48- Luxembourg: 1,507
49-Hungary: 3.887
50- Malaysia: 711
51- Malta: 2,808
52- Egypt: 2.327
53- Moldova: 861
54- Nigeria: 584
55- Norway: 10,391
56- Uzbekistan: 3.182
57- Pakistan: 1,233
58- Poland: 10,457
59- Portugal: 1,484
60- Romania: 10,172
61- Russia: 14,357
62- Serbia : 2.311
63- Singapore: 1,020
64- Slovak Republic: 642
65- Saudi Arabia: 23.005
66- Tanzania: 865
67- Thailand: 1,278
68-Turkmenistan: 635
69- Ukraine: 2,608
70- Sultanate of Oman: 1,395
71- Jordan: 3.030
72- New Zealand: 1,115
73- Greece: 11,714
Source : Balkan News
