Polling stations of the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkiye opened at 8.00 local time (5:00 GMT) on Sunday. The second round of the presidential election, which will take place if no candidate gains 50% of votes, is scheduled for May 28.
Voters will be told that they are prohibited from entering a polling area with image recording or communication devices, such as mobile phones and cameras, and that they will be fined for violating this rule, media reported. It is better to leave such devices at the entrance and pick them up after voting, according to the report.
No one, except the voter themselves, should enter the polling booth, as the voter should make the choice on its own, according to the report. If a person is illiterate, they can ask for help only from the chairman of the polling station.
Security measures at the polling station in Istanbul, where incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will cast his vote, were strengthened, Sputnik correspondent reported. Special forces soldiers and law enforcement officers in civilian clothes were deployed next to the site, while fences were installed in the area, preventing cars from entering the station’s territory.
Voters in the areas affected by the devastating February earthquakes in southeastern Turkiye are also participating in the voting. Special voting containers were set up for them in the areas, where the buildings of regular polling stations were destroyed, media reported.
There are three candidates competing in Turkiye’s presidential election. Erdogan, who was nominated by the ruling Justice and Development Party and its coalition partner, the Nationalist Movement Party, will run against Kemal Kilicdaroglu, put forward by a six-party opposition alliance, and Sinan Ogan of the ATA Alliance. Results of pre-election polls have not yet revealed a clear winner. As for the parliamentary elections, the main battle is expected between the ruling People's Alliance and the opposition Nation Alliance.