Turks abroad vote at record level in presidential, parliamentary elections – officials

The number of Turkish citizens voting abroad in this month’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey rose to a record level of 1.49 million, the head of the High Election Board, Sadi Guven, said on Wednesday. The elections are taking place in Turkey on Sunday, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be seeking to extend his 15-year rule and assume sweeping new presidential powers. Voting at Turkish diplomatic missions abroad began on June 7 and finished on Tuesday evening. Polls suggest the elections may be close, with Erdogan’s AK Party possibly losing its parliamentary majority, Reuters said. Some 3.047 million Turkish voters are registered abroad, meaning the turnout of foreign voters currently stands at 48.8 percent. The turnout level in Turkey itself stood at 85 percent at the last parliamentary election in November 2015.