Turkish expatriates in Europe, Middle East begin voting in May 14 elections

Turkish expatriates in Finland, Sweden, Qatar, and Lebanon have begun voting for the presidential and parliamentary elections that will be held across Türkiye on May 14.

Polling started in Finland on Monday and will continue until May 7 from 9 AM to 9 PM local time for 6,791 Turks eligible to vote.

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Finland Deniz Cakar said: "Things are going well. The interest of our citizens is satisfactory. Our balloting committees are ready and our observers are watching the electoral process from the beginning."

Meanwhile, polling stations in Alvsjo, a district of Stockholm Municipality in Sweden, will welcome 42,800 Turkish voters until the same date.

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Sweden Yonet Can Tezel said that long lines formed on the first day of voting.

Separately, polling has begun in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar, where 10,868 Turk expatriates are eligible to vote until May.

Voting also began at the Turkish Embassy in Doha, Qatar’s capital and will continue till Sunday.

A total of 8,336 Turk expatriates registered to vote in Lebanon also have seven days to cast their ballot.

'All preparations in place'

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Baris Ulusoy said: "We have made all our preparations so that our citizens can vote safely."

Voting across Türkiye will take place on Sunday, May 14.

Voters will choose between four presidential candidates, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking reelection, Muharrem Ince, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and Sinan Ogan.

A total of 24 political parties and 151 independent candidates are vying for seats in the 600-member Turkish parliament.

Approximately 3.41 million Turkish citizens are eligible to vote abroad, where voting has already begun in some countries, with nearly 278,000 of them voting for the first time.