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

Ezgi Akin

May 9, 2023

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 — 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. — Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images

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.