Few in number but determined in spirit, UK-based expatriates cast their ballots for the first popularly-elected Turkish president
Sevgi Özdemir, who came to the polling station with her husband Mehmet and two children Cem and Rozerin, became the first Turkish national to vote in the UK.
By Michael Daventry
MORE THAN two thousand Turkish expatriates turned out to vote yesterday in a weekend of voting for Turkey’s next president.
For the first time ever, Turkish and Kurdish people in the UK have been able to join their compatriots in Turkey by taking part in a national election. But despite the hundreds of people who did come to the Olympia Centre in central London on Saturday, overall turnout is unlikely to exceed 10 percent.
First in the queue to vote was Sevgi Özdemir, originally from Kahramanmaraş in southern Turkey, who came with her husband Mehmet and children Cem and Rozerin.
Musa and Filiz Çörekçi, who have lived in the Uk for 27 years, said they were excited to be voting for the first time.
“I voted for Selahattin Demirtaş because I want to live in a country of peace,” she said, referring to Selahattin Demirtaş, the presidential candidate with Kurdish roots.
Londoners Saim and Hacer Söyler said they were delighted to be voting: “This is a great happiness for us, a right that has been given to us. We hope it’s beneficial for Turkey.”
The couple said they supported Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the governing AK Party candidate and frontrunner to win. “He will carry our country to a contemporary level,” they said.
Turkey’s ambassador to London, Abdurrahman Bilgiç, arrived early in the morning to cast his ballot
SCOTTISH VOTERS
Unlike France and Germany, where polling stations have been dotted in towns and cities around the country, only a single venue was set up in the UK. The decision meant it was a long journey for expatriates living outside London.
Veli Taşçı travelled for 10 hours with his wife Nazlı from Glasgow to vote for Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, the candidate jointly nominated by several of Turkey’s opposition parties.
“We hope the votes are not stolen,” he said. “I hope this election is more just and conducted in a fair way.
“May it produce the best for our country.”
TURNOUT FEARS
The Turkish Consul-General in London, Emirhan Yorulmazlar, said it was an historic moment for Turkey and for its people living abroad.
“We can see there is an interest [in the election] but we cannot yet tell how many votes have been cast. We will have a better idea at the end of the second day,” he said.
Each of the nearly 77,000 eligible expatriates in the UK have been allocated a morning or afternoon timeslot to come and vote over this weekend.
But in an indication of how low the turnout could be, election authorities admitted just 3,605 people had used the option to choose their own voting time.
Turkish national Melek Uçumgam was also at the Olympia Centre in Kensington to vote
Consular officials told Londra Gazete that 2,324 people in all voted on Saturday. They said were expecting a higher number on Sunday, when more people will have the day off work, although turnout would need to double Saturday’s figure only to cross the 10% mark.
COUNTING IN TURKEY
Representatives from Turkey’s three main political parties were stationed around the polling station to observe the voting, which concludes at 5pm this evening.
The 55 ballot boxes will then be taken to Gatwick Airport, where a chartered aircraft will return them to Istanbul. The votes inside will be counted next Sunday evening, after people in Turkey have had their turn to vote.
Queues did form at times outside the Olympia Centre in Kensington
Mr Erdoğan is the frontrunner to win this year’s presidential election by a large margin, even though recent polling indicates he might come short of the majority of votes needed to win in the first round.
A run-off, if required, is likely to feature him against Mr İhsanoğlu and would be held on 24 August in Turkey. Voting abroad would take place on previous weekend, 16-17 August.
