Turks in England formed long queues at the polls to vote
In England, where there are 127,281 registered voters, voting has started in 4 cities. London voters, old and young, went to the polls at 09:00 local time and long queues formed in front of the polls set up in Old Billingsgate.
“WE INVITE OUR CITIZENS TO MAKE USE OF THESE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS”
Turkish Ambassador in London Osman Koray Ertaş and Turkish Consul General in London Bekir Utku Atahan, who were in the polling area, made statements about the voting process for foreign voters.
Ambassador Ertaş stated that the voting process in England started today and noted that voters in London, Manchester and Edinburgh can cast their ballots between 09:00 and 21:00 for 9 days.
Noting that in Leicester, voters can cast their ballots until 18:00 on May 1, Ertaş said: “We invite our citizens to use these fundamental rights.” he used the phrase.
Ertaş also stated that they have been in close cooperation with the British authorities since the beginning of the process, from security to protecting their votes.
“TOTAL NUMBER OF BOOTS IN ENGLAND 242”
Consul General Atahan also stated that the voting process for the General Election for President and the 28th Term of Parliament in Turkey has started in England from today.
Atahan stated that polls were opened at 4 locations in England, noting that the total number of polls was 242, 200 of which were in London. atahan said:
“The Supreme Board of Elections has significantly increased the number of ballot boxes compared to previous elections. There is intense interest. We welcome our citizens to vote. We are making announcements about how you can get to polling points and how you can cast your votes using social media tools. We rent a very spacious, decent and large living room. Our hope is to complete the selection process smoothly in the UK.”
“I hope the one who deserves it WINS”
Fatma Tunç, one of the citizens who went to the established area to vote, stated that she has lived in England for 40 years and said: “We love our England. We love our Türkiye very much. Hopefully the one who deserves it wins. We are here to vote today. Whoever deserves it, wins”. said.
Another voter living in England, Nazlı Albayrak, stated that he observed that the polling station in London was very well prepared and said: “As my friend said, ‘May the deserving man win.’ May it be the best for our country and our state.” he said.
Mutluhan Yılmaz, who has lived in this country for about 6 months and is studying for a PhD in London with the scholarship awarded by the Turkish government, said that he preferred to vote today because it is the first day of the voting process and it is the weekend.
Yılmaz stated that the polling station in London is located in a central location and can be easily found by citizens and wished that the election results would be beneficial for Turkey.
In the country, where ballot boxes were installed in 4 different cities for the first time this year, elections will last until May 7 in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, and until May 1 in Leicester.
Citizens will be able to vote at Old Billingsgate in London, and at consulates general in Manchester and Edinburgh. Voting in Leicester will take place at Tigers Rugby Club.
Citizens registered in the foreign electoral roll may also cast their vote at the gates of land, air and sea customs. Citizens will only need to present their temporary identity documents to vote. (AA)