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Today (May 28), voters again headed to the polls to choose the country's new president. The runoff election featured incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the candidate of the People's Alliance, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the candidate of the Nation Alliance, vying for the position.
Voting commenced at 8:00 am and lasted until 05:00 pm and irregularities were reported by political party members assigned to the balloting committees throughout the day.
Voting in name of others in Bingöl
One such incident occurred in the Çavuşlar village in Bingöl, where allegations emerged that votes had been cast on behalf of individuals living abroad. Upon receiving a notice of irregularities in ballot box number 1282 at Yeni Yerleşim Primary School, a delegation from the Republican People's Party (CHP) visited the Çavuşlar village.
Upon arrival, the CHP delegation encountered individuals who claimed to have voted on behalf of others. When the delegation tried to intervene, they were met with resistance. The locals responded by saying, "This is Çavuşlar, you're not allowed in. We can openly cast votes if we choose to." Subsequently, they assaulted the delegation.
Servet Ayık, a member of the delegation, shared a tweet describing the incident: "We were attacked in Çavuşlar. Unfortunately, there weren't enough gendarmerie officers present, so instead of stopping the aggressors, they removed us from the village!"
Çavuşlarda saldırıya uğradık jandarma sayısı yetersiz olduğu için saldırganlara engel olmak yerine bizleri köyden tahliye ettiler ..!#Secim @kilicdarogluk @herkesicinCHP
— Servet Ayık (@servetayik) May 28, 2023
Police officers attempted to vote without submitting documents
Instances of police officers attempting to cast votes without submitting their documents were prevented in the Kadıköy and Sarıyer districts of Istanbul.
The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) shared on social media that the head of the balloting committee stated, "Police officers and watchmen without their documents can still cast their votes." However, committee members and observers raised objections, the matter was brought before the district election board, which declared that no such voting would take place until a decision was reached by the board.
Votes cast outside the ballot box
The People's Democratic Party (HDP) reported the discovery of a ballot inside an envelope at the ballot box number 1024, which had been sealed with the section marked for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in advance.
The party also informed that a report had been filed regarding this incident.
The HDP further stated that they had discovered instances where votes were cast outside the polling station, and later brought into the ballot box in Çınarcık, Yalova. Again a report was kept to document the irregularity.
Votes being cast for absent individuals
Upon receiving a claim that votes were being cast on behalf of absent voters at Yazlıca Secondary School in Akçakale, Urfa, the Urfa Bar Association intervened. The local bar association released a statement indicating that observers, lawyers, and members of the balloting committee had been attacked, threatened, and insulted in the rural neighborhood of Yazlıca.
The district governorship of Akçakale referred to the incident as a "small-scale discussion" in their official announcement.
In the Eyyübiye district of Urfa, former MP of the CHP, Ali Şeker, was attacked while attempting to prevent people from casting votes on behalf of absent individuals.
Another incident occurred at Vicdan Karaosmanoğlu Primary School in Şehzadeler, Manisa, where the final report of the balloting committee was prepared and signed in advance. However, the report was destroyed after the CHP raised objections.
In Dilovası, Kocaeli, Yücetan Dilmaç, the vice-president of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), was caught attempting to cast a vote for the second time in a different ballot box. A report was filed regarding Dilmaç, who claimed not to be aware that this act constituted a crime.
(RT/PE)
