Eligible voters abroad had 13 days to put their two crosses in the elections in Turkey. In Germany, many made use of it. There are voices warning against influence.
For around 3.4 million eligible voters abroad, voting for the parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey ends this Tuesday. Among the 1.5 million people in Germany with a Turkish passport, there was a high turnout.
Within eleven days – as of last Sunday – 642,000 people cast their votes in Germany, as reported by Yunus Ulusoy from the Center for Turkish Studies in Essen. Compared to the last election in 2018, this is an increase of a good 19 percent.
Voter turnout nationwide was just under 43 percent by Sunday. In the same period of 2018, it was 38.5 percent. Among the Turks abroad who have been able to cast their votes since April 27, Germany has the most voters. And among the federal states, with a good 500,000 voters, most live in North Rhine-Westphalia. Turkey will vote on May 14th.
Head to head race
“The increase in turnout makes it clear that Turkish voters attach great emotional importance to the elections, even though the results do not affect their everyday life in Germany,” explained expert Ulusoy. After 20 years in power, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fears his re-election. Polls put him on par with opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. All the more attention is paid to the vote of the Turks abroad.
Ulusoy said that the opposition alliance was probably more mobilized this time than in 2018. At that time, Erdogan had achieved high values in Germany with 64.8 percent – overall he had only received 52.6 percent in the Turkish election five years ago. Researcher Sinem Adar from the Science and Politics Foundation also said recently that the opposition may not have the means like Erdogan’s AKP, but this time it has actively approached voters abroad, primarily via social media.
According to the Turkish community in Germany, the high turnout also has to do with the fact that many see it as a “choice of fate”. In view of the head-to-head race, many eligible voters are all the more of the opinion that their vote can make the difference.
While major events in Germany in 2018 before the election led to public polarization, the help for the earthquake victims in Turkey is currently bringing people in this country closer together, TGD chairman Gökay Sofuoglu recently described at an expert panel of the media service Integration.
Direct campaigning forbidden
There was also criticism and warnings. NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) warned in the ZDF magazine “frontal” against prohibited influence. The Erdogan government is trying to put pressure on voters in Germany. “Sometimes this takes place in ways and with methods that are unacceptable,” the minister quoted “frontally”. The Turkish state is trying to promote in this country that the current government stays in office. Attempts are being made to influence the formation of opinions. Direct election campaigns by Turkish politicians in Germany are prohibited.
The Turkish-born journalist Hüseyin Topel from Hilden near Düsseldorf had warned against election rigging. “Extreme caution is required,” he told the dpa at the beginning of voting in Germany. The ballot boxes abroad in particular should be “meticulously guarded by supporters of the opposition across all parties”.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
