Tight security measures to be taken on Turkey's election day

Turkish security forces will take extraordinary measures to provide security during the June 7 elections, as 150,000 police officers will be on duty during election day. 

As part of the measures, weekend days off for security forces, including officers and the gendarmerie, have been canceled in order to efficiently address any kind of unrest. 

With days left until the parliamentary elections in which more than 53 million Turkish citizens will cast their votes to elect the next government, the Interior Ministry has completed and distributed a circular to 81 provinces. 

According to the circular, foot and motor patrols will be provided around polling stations and on the main roads of provinces. Election coordination centers will also be established at police departments in all 81 provinces. Helicopters will be used for aerial patrolling, especially in larger towns.

Places of entertainment will be closed on Sunday and restaurants cannot serve alcohol until the end of the day. Nobody except security forces will be able to carry guns on election day. 

Security forces have been notified that they can frisk persons and search vehicles on the basis of reasonable doubt, as part of a recently adopted domestic security package that grants additional powers to security forces. 

The gendarmerie, police and coast guard will take security precautions on the routes on which the reports and ballot papers will be transported to local election centers. In places where the risk of terrorism is high, these reports and ballot papers will be carried by armored vehicles and helicopters. This will be implemented especially in remote parts of the Southeast and East Anatolia regions.  

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