President, PM and party leaders vote in Turkish election

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cast his vote as high-profile figures join millions of Turkish citizens going to the polls in the country’s 25th general election.  

Speaking to the press in Istanbul after voting, Erdogan said that the turnout of Sunday's election appeared to be high.

“This is an important sign of a powerful democracy,” he said.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu voted in Konya, central Turkey – his home province – early on Sunday morning.

The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu cast his vote in Ankara saying that while the election conditions were unequal the race itself was in good spirit.

 "I hope this election will lead to the development of democracy, freedom and spread a fair base for prosperity in Turkey," Kilicdaroglu added.

Devlet Bahceli, the chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), voted in Ankara.

Co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, had earlier cast his vote in Istanbul. "We hope that a result which will contribute to Turkey's civil peace, freedom and democracy will come up when the ballot boxes are opened in the evening," Demirtas told reporters.

Figen Yuksekdag, HDP co-leader, had earlier cast her vote in the eastern Turkish province of Van. She told reporters: "We, as party members and volunteers, have conducted a very intensive struggle to meet with the ballot boxes and to reveal our democratic will. It was a struggle to reach democracy and ballot boxes."

Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek voted in the southeastern Gaziantep province. "Everyone made an effort. Now the people will decide," he said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had earlier cast his vote in Alanya, southern Antalya. "I hope democracy will win today. I hope common sense wins in Turkey," he told reporters.

Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci had earlier cast his vote in the western province of Denizli. "We are going to the people who are the most important and only decision makers for our democracy," he said.

The 11th president of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, cast his vote in Istanbul. "I hope the results will be good for our country. Everyone has given speeches so the Turkish people are making their choices after an election campaign in which everyone expressed their opinions clearly. I am sure that everyone will do their best for the future of our children and country", Gul said.

A total of 174,240 polling stations will be open until 5.00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT). Nearly a million Turks living abroad have already cast their ballots at 122 embassies and consulates.

The votes from 33 ballot stations at airports and border crossings will be collected when the polls close on Sunday.

Voters will be selecting a party, rather than a candidate, in 85 voting districts across the country under the closed list proportional representation system.

The election will be overseen by observers from civil society groups and political parties as well as international monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe.

OSCE Limited Election Observation Geert-Hinrich Ahrens is in Ankara to monitor the poll.

Of the 20 parties registered to contest the election, opinion polls suggest four parties could pass the 10 percent threshold to gain seats in the assembly.

The Justice and Development (AK) Party, which has been in government since 2002, the main opposition CHP and the Nationalist Movement Party are expected to take seats while pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party is aiming to enter parliament for the first time as a party.