An atmosphere of fierce rivalry was palpable across polling stations in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city with 15 million people, on Election Day on Sunday (24/6/2018). Turkish people were electing their parliament members and president in the snap election.
By
MUSTHAFA ABD RAHMAN
·3 minutes read
AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC
Turkey\'s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and his wife Emine are greeted by supporters as they leave the polling station after casting their votes during snap twin Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections in Istanbul on June 24, 2018.Turks began voting in dual parliamentary and presidential polls seen as the President\'s toughest election test, with the opposition revitalised and his popularity at risk from growing economic troubles.
ISTANBUL, KOMPAS – An atmosphere of fierce rivalry was palpable across polling stations in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city with 15 million people, on Election Day on Sunday (24/6/2018). Turkish people were electing their parliament members and president in the snap election. Long lines of Istanbul residents emerged early on the day in many polling stations amid the expected tight race between political parties and presidential candidates. Polling stations were scheduled to close at 5 p.m. local time (9 p.m. Jakarta time). Early results of the election were expected at 10 p.m. local time.
Incumbent presidential candidates Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the People’s Alliance is facing five other hopefuls. The alliance comprises three political parties, namely the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Great Unity Party (BBP).
AFP PHOTO/UYGAR ONDER SIMSEK
Republican Peoples Party\'s (CHP) presidential candidate Muharrem Ince speaks to the press after casting his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary and presidential elections, in Yalova on June 24, 2018
The five other hopefuls are Muharrem Ince from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Temel Karamollaoglu from the Felicity Party (SP), Meral Aksener from the IYI Party, Dogu Perincek from the Patriotic Party (VP) and Selahattin Demirtas from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). Demirtas has been behind bars since 2016. Experts are saying that it will be difficult for Erdogan to win the election in just one round due to the large number of presidential candidates.
Political parties will compete for 600 parliament seats in this year’s election.
The Turkish High Election Commission data show that 59,369,960 out of the country’s 80 million people are eligible to vote. Women account for 50.76 percent of Turkey’s eligible voters.
AFP PHOTO/YASIN AKGUL
Meral Aksener, Iyi (Good) Party leader and presidential candidate, shakes hands after casting her ballot at a polling station in snap twin Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections in Istanbul on June 24, 2018.
Some 3,047,328 of the eligible voters live abroad. Of this amount, 1,486,408 people or around 48.78 percent have cast their vote.
In its visit to a polling station at the Huviyet Bekir Ilkokulu district in downtown Istanbul, Kompas was amazed by the huge turnout of voters that made the polling station looked like a bustling traditional market at peak hours.
No police or security personnel was seen guarding the polling station. This showed that the people were free to cast their votes without monitoring from the state.
Voting was simple and quick. Residents were only required to show their ID cards and a voter’s invitation letter. Polling booth officers then matched the name on the ID card with their voters’ list.
AP PHOTO/BURHAN OZBILICI
Temel Karamollaoglu, presidential candidate of pro-Islamic Felicity Party, and his British-born wife Ayse Karamollaoglu cast their ballots at a highschool in Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, June 24, 2018.
Kompas observation and media reports in Turkey showed that the voting day went on smoothly and peacefully. “I am a Kurd and a supporter of the Republican People’s Party and candidate Muharrem Ince,” Omer Demirtas, 44, told Kompas after voting at the polling station in Huviyet Bekir Ilkokulu district.
Many are expecting Erdogan and the ruling AKP to win the election. Many of them said that Erdogan remained Turkey’s strongest political figure right now and had brought much progress to the country during his presidency.
“Erdogan and the AKP have strong bases of supporters in Turkey, especially in Istanbul,” said Polat after casting his vote at the Huviyet Bekir Ilkokulu polling station.
