CHP to appeal to election board for overseas votes

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) will apply to the Supreme Election Board (YSK) for an increase in the number of polling stations abroad so that more Turks can vote in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, the daily Milliyet reported on Aug. 16.

Türkiye has a sizeable number of citizens eligible to vote abroad, mainly in Germany and other European countries, who can exercise their right to vote on the premises of the Turkish diplomatic missions.

However, many Turks who are living far from the Turkish diplomatic missions refrain from going to vote, the CHP officials believe, the report suggested. The CHP's appeal will call the YSK to find ways to increase the number of polling stations abroad, it added.

This opinion of the CHP was discussed at a workshop held in Istanbul that was focused on the CHP's efforts to strengthen its overseas organization. CHP representatives from 15 countries joined the workshop, deputy CHP leader Seyit Torun told reporters over the weekend.

"[Increasing the number of polling stations] is the responsibility of the Foreign Ministry and the YSK. We will follow up on this. The biggest expectation and demand of our overseas organizations is the increase in the election turnout," Torun stressed.

Some 1.3 million Turks living abroad voted in the 2018 elections out of 3 million eligible voters. They voted either in the diplomatic missions of Türkiye or at the border gates.