23 June 2018•Update: 24 June 2018
By Aylin Sirikli
ANKARA
Turkey is heading to the polls on Sunday for parliamentary and presidential elections with 56,322,632 registered voters and 180,065 ballot boxes across the country.
Voting will start at 8.00 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and will continue through 5.00 p.m. local time (1400GMT).
Voters will be able to cast their ballots after they show their ID cards or any other official identification document.
It is forbidden to enter the voting booth with cameras and mobile phones.
Voters will cast two separate ballot papers in the same envelope -- one for the presidential and the other for parliamentary elections.
After the voting ends, ballots cast for the presidential candidates will be counted first.
Voting at the customs gates which started on June 7, will also end at 5.00 p.m. local time (1400GMT) on Sunday.
Eight political parties are participating in the parliamentary elections that include the Justice and Development (AK) Party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Free Cause (Huda-Par) Party, the newly formed Good (IYI) Party, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the Felicity (Saadet) Party and the Patriotic (Vatan) Party.
Six candidates are running for president: Recep Tayyip Erdogan for People’s Alliance (Cumhur Ittifaki), formed by Turkey’s ruling AK Party and the MHP, Muharrem Ince for CHP, Selahattin Demirtas for HDP, Meral Aksener for Good (IYI) Party, Temel Karamollaoglu for Felicity (Saadet) Party, and Dogu Perincek for Patriotic (Vatan) Party.
Selling alcoholic beverages are banned from 06.00 a.m. (0300GMT) to 00.00 p.m. (2100GMT) while consumption of alcoholic beverages are also prohibited in public places.
In Istanbul, 38,480 police officers, four police helicopters, eight boats, 85 anti-riot water cannon vehicles, 90 armored vehicles and three drone teams will be on duty to provide security on Election Day.
*Halil Demir contributed to this story from Istanbul
