Only about five percent voter turnout: Only a few Turkish citizens have taken advantage of the opportunity to participate in the presidential election for the first time in their home country and abroad.

Very few Turks abroad took part in the Turkish presidential election. This is distinguished from after voting by overseas voters. Only about five percent of the 2.7 million eligible Turkish citizens abroad had cast their votes, the newspaper “Hurriyet” reported, citing the independent observer group Gurbetin Oylari.

The Turkish foreign voters could vote from July 31 to August 3 in their respective countries in the presidential election on August 10. According to the so-called High Electoral Council, however, the vast majority of overseas voters missed the deadline for an appointment to vote in their place of residence.

In Germany, according to “Hurriyet” were awarded only to 6.6 percent of Turkish voters appointments – but these were prerequisite for the vote. The newspaper “Cumhuriyet” reported in some 30 percent of potential voters were rejected at the polling stations, because they had no appointment. Many voters apparently had not considered that an application was needed for the vote.

In addition, there were only seven places in Germany, could be where voted. Some voters would have had to go very far, because an absentee ballot was not provided.

“Hürriyet” quoted the Turkish ambassador in Denmark, Mehmet Dönmez, with the words, of the 30,000 Turkish voters in the country had not even gone a thousand to the polls. In contrast, had appeared at a pre-season friendly of the Turkish football champion Fenerbahce Istanbul in Copenhagen around 7000 Turks.

The Turks determined on 10 August their new president for the first time in a direct line. Big favorite for the office is the controversial Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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