The Green Left Party issued a rallying call to expatriate voters on Saturday, urging them to participate in the second round of Turkey’s presidential elections.
Voting commenced on 20 May and will continue until 24 May at Turkish overseas representations, and until 17:00 local time on 28 May at customs gates.
In its message, the party highlighted the importance of expatriate voters’ participation and provided a website for checking the polling stations at Turkish overseas representations, airports and customs gates. Expat votes carry weight in the election results, as approximately 3.4 million Turkish citizens residing abroad, out of a total electorate exceeding 64 million, are eligible to vote from overseas.
Earlier this week, several prominent Kurdish politicians, including jailed former co-chair of Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Sebahat Tuncel, jailed former co-chair of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş and exiled former mayor of Diyarbakır (Amed) Osman Baydemir, expressed messages of hope and determination for the upcoming presidential runoff. Baydemir specifically called upon eligible expat voters to participate in the elections scheduled for 28 May, stating that it is crucial to exercise their democratic rights to prevent the consolidation of fascism in Turkey and restore checks and balances within the Turkish political system.