Voting for Turkey’s Runoff Election Begins
Turkish President Erdogan and his challenger Kilicdaroglu are heading to a runoff, and from today, eligible voters in Germany can cast their votes. Voting for the second round of the presidential election runs until May 24th, and 1.5 million eligible voters are asked to choose between the incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the CHP. According to the Turkish embassy, those who have already registered before the first round of the elections can vote. Erdogan is the favorite for the second round both at home and abroad since he missed an absolute majority in the first round on May 14th narrowly.
Strong Support for Erdogan in Germany
The fact that he beat his opponent also had to do with votes from abroad. Out of a total of 3.4 million eligible foreign Turkish voters, only about half actually voted. However, 57.7% of those who voted supported Erdogan. Kemal Kilicdaroglu received nearly 40% of the votes. Even in Germany, only about half of the eligible voters cast their vote, and preliminary numbers suggest that 65% of them voted for Erdogan.
Erdogan Thanks Supporters
Observers expect a similar voting behavior from foreign Turkish voters in the upcoming round of elections. Most Turkish foreign voters live in Germany. On Friday, Erdogan thanked his supporters for their votes in the first round and asked them to vote again. “Each of you has already engraved your names in golden letters in our political history,” Erdogan tweeted. “I urge you to exercise your democratic right without fail.” Turks living abroad were able to vote in specially established polling stations for the first time in 2014.
Kilicdaroglu Calls Voting a “National Duty”
Challenger Kilicdaroglu also urged foreign Turkish voters to vote. Casting their vote for the runoff election is a “national duty” for citizens wherever they are in the world, said the CHP politician in a video address posted on Twitter. He described the upcoming decision on May 28th as a referendum that extends beyond a simple election. Kilicdaroglu referred to the referendum in 2018, which resulted in an expansion of the presidential powers, including more control over the judiciary. “You saw what happened after the previous referendum. This is the last resort for our country,” said the opposition leader in the video.
Criticism from the Opposition
The possibility of voting abroad was initiated by Erdogan. According to Sinem Adar for the Foundation for Science and Politics, it is one of the systematic measures by today’s state leader that targets immigrants from Turkey and their children born overseas. Erdogan does politics for Turks living abroad, unlike the opposition, which pays off for him at the ballot box. The opportunity to vote at polling stations abroad is frequently criticized in Turkey, especially by opposition parties. In the 2018 election, Erdogan performed significantly better in Germany with around 65% compared to the overall results of around 53%.
