Skip to main content
ALM Special

Turkey Elections: Absentee voting ends with record 51% turnout in 73 countries

Absentee voting, which ended on Tuesday for nearly 3.5 million Turkish citizens registered abroad, saw record participation.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to supporters at a rally while campaigning for the presidential election on May 07, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. On May 14th, Turkey’s President Erdogan will face his biggest electoral test as voters head to the polls in the country’s general election. Erdogan has been in power for more than two decades, first as prime minister and then as president, but his popularity has taken a hit recently due to Turkey’s ongoing economic crisis and his government’s handling o

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s absentee voting ended on Tuesday with a record turnout ahead of the general vote this Sunday in the country's tightest elections in recent history. 

The number of absentee voters at polling stations abroad and at border customs offices exceeded 1.76 million, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported, citing the country’s Higher Election Board. 

The turnout, which currently stands at little more than 51%, is higher than the last presidential and parliamentary elections in June 2018. In that election, the number of absentee ballots stood at 44.6%, according to the official figures.

Absentee voting, which began April 28 in 73 countries across the world, ended on Tuesday for nearly 3.5 million Turkish registered voters abroad. Voting at polling stations at customs offices located at land crossings, airports and sea harbors, meanwhile, will remain open until May 14. 

 

Videos circulating on social media over the past week showed long queues of voters waiting to cast their ballots in front of Turkey’s diplomatic missions across Europe. 

Emre Agdere, 37, a Turkish voter based in Dublin, told Al-Monitor that he and his friend had to wait for more than five hours before casting their votes at the Turkish Embassy in Dublin last Friday. “We went at noon during our lunch break, thinking that there wouldn't be many people during a weekday. But once we got there we saw a huge queue of some 200 to 300 meters,” Agdere said. 

According to official data, Ireland is home to more than 6,500 registered Turkish voters. Once they learned that it took nearly more than an hour for the queue to progress less than 50 meters, Agdere’s friend brought camping chairs, snacks and backgammon from his house nearby.

“The weather was beautiful, and it’s difficult to catch a sunny day in Dublin. So we sat, played backgammon, trying to make the most of the day.”

Another Dubliner, Bora Ozbayburtlu, 46, said he and his family members waited for nearly two hours before casting their ballots last Saturday. 

“The majority of the people who were standing in the line with us were young voters,” Ozbayburtlu said. “I think young people have more faith in change.” 

Sunday's race marks the most tightly contested elections in the country’s history. For the four-candidate presidential vote, which will be largely fought between two frontrunners, polls gave a slight lead to main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu against incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Yet neither of them has yet to secure more than 50% of the vote to be elected as the president in the first round, several pollsters say.  

In the 2018 elections, Erdogan received a strong majority of the absentee vote — more than 60%. But with higher turnout seen among Turkish youth abroad in this election, it is unclear if this majority will hold. The ballots will be counted on Sunday. 

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in