June 16, 2018•Update: June 17, 2018
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal and Talha Ozturk
LONDON/ BELGRADE
Turkish expats in several European countries continued casting votes in Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday.
The votes are being cast in the U.K., Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Sweden and Russia.
Germany, Austria, and France were among the first countries in Europe where voting began on June 7.
In Turkey, voters will go to the polls on June 24.
United Kingdom
In the U.K., the voting started at 9.00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) in London’s Kensington Olympia Conference Center and Turkey’s Edinburgh Consulate General that will continue until June 19.
Turkey’s Consul general Cinar Ergin told Anadolu Agency the voting continued smoothly without any problem.
There are approximately 100,000 registered voters in the U.K., according to High Election Board figures.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia
The voting also started in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia on Saturday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Turkey's Ambassador to Sarajevo Haldun Koc said that they have taken all the precautions to ensure that the electoral process in the embassy takes place in a transparent, fair, democratic and secure environment.
About 2,500 Turkish citizens are eligible to vote in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 2,518 registered voters in Macedonia, while the overall number in the entire Balkan states is about 30,000.
Meanwhile, Turkey's Ambassador to Macedonia Tulin Erkal Kara said that they have taken extraordinary security measures to provide a festive atmosphere for the elections.
"Our objective here is to hold peaceful elections," Kara said.
Voting in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia will continue until 09.00 p.m. (0700 GMT) local time on Sunday.
On the other hand, Turks in Serbia, for the very first time, will cast their votes on Sunday. Voters will be able to cast their votes from 09.00 a.m. local time (0700GMT) to 09.00 p.m. (1900 GMT) at Turkish embassy.
Sweden, Bulgaria
The voting also began in Sweden, where nearly 39,000 Turkish citizens are eligible to cast their votes..
The voting at the Kista Convention Center in Swedish capital Stockholm will continue until 08.00 p.m. (1800GMT) local time on June 17.
In Bulgaria, registered 8,500 voters are eligible to cast their ballots at diplomatic missions in Sofia, Plovdiv and Burgas until June 18.
Russia
In Russia, Turkish citizens began voting at Turkey’s embassy in Moscow and the consulate generals in Kazan, Novorossiysk and St. Petersburg.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s Ambassador to Moscow Huseyin Dirioz said that there are 11,000 Turkish citizens eligible to cast ballots.
Over 3 million Turks living abroad are eligible to vote for the presidential and general elections.
Six candidates are running for president, while eight political parties are taking part in the parliamentary elections.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has served as president since 2014 -- Turkey's first popularly-elected president. Before that, he served as prime minister from 2003 to 2014.
Should he win the June election, Erdogan would be Turkey's first leader under the presidential system.
Turkish citizens living abroad and traveling to Turkey this month can also cast their votes at custom gates until 5 p.m. local time on June 24.
*Ihvan Radoykov in Sofia, Atila Altuntas in Stockholm and Ali Cura from Moscow contributed to this story.
