Turkish expatriates in the UK are set to vote in the country’s general election next weekend, on 30 and 31 May.
Ballot boxes will opened in London and Edinburgh for the vote, which takes place a week before people in Turkey go to the polls.
In a repeat of last year’s presidential election, Turkish passport holders living in London, the south of England and Wales will be able to vote at the Kensington Olympia Centre in West London, W14 8UX. The nearest tube station is Kensington Olympia.
But for the first time, voters living in the Scotland and the north of England will not have to travel down to London, as ballot boxes will also be opened at the offices of Turkey’s Edinburgh Consulate at Forsyth House, 93 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3ES.
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
Voting takes place between 10am and 7pm on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 May. Unlike the presidential election, voters will not be required to book a timeslot to vote – a widely criticised measure that many commentators said contributed to the low turnout.
As with elections in Turkey, voters will be required to present a form of identity that contains their national identity number (TC Kimlik Numarası), such as an identity card or passport.
Turkish driving licences will be valid so long as they display an ID number. British passports or non-Turkish identity documents will not be accepted.
Turkey’s Consul-General in the UK, Emirhan Yorulmazlar said that staff from the Consulate will be on hand at the polling station to guide voters to the correct ballot box.
VOTE AT THE AIRPORT
Turkish expatriates who are unable to vote on 30 or 31 May but are travelling to Turkey will have the option of voting at the border before they clear customs.
Ballot boxes have been set up at all of the country’s major airports, including Istanbul Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen, Ankara Esenboğa, İzmir Adnan Menderes and Dalaman, as well as the land crossings with Greece and Bulgaria and a number of sea ports.
Polling stations at Turkish airports and land and sea borders will remain open until 7 June.
HOW TO VOTE IN A TURKISH ELECTION
In order to vote in Turkish elections overseas you must be enrolled on the overseas electoral register.
If you have had any dealing with the consulate in recent years (to renew a passport or delay military service, for example) you are likely to have been automatically enrolled. To check if you are on the register, visit www.ysk.gov.tr and click on the “Yurt Dışı Seçmen Sorgulama” link.
You can arrive at the polling station at any time between 10am and 7pm, UK time, on the weekend of 30-31 May.
You will be handed a stamp, a ballot paper and an envelope. The ballot paper is a long strip containing the symbols for each political party placed horizontally next to one another.
Make sure the clerk has stamped the reverse of your ballot before you enter the voting cabin. Ballots that do not carry a stamp on the reverse will not be valid.
Use the stamp to apply a single mark beneath the party you want to vote for. Make sure the ‘EVET’ (Yes) mark fits fully in the circle beneath your party. A stamp that overlaps with other parties will invalidate your ballot.
Once you have stamped your choice, make sure the ink has dried before folding the ballot twice and placing it into the envelope.
Drop the envelope into the ballot box indicated by the clerk.
