International Observers Points of Views:
International observers were impressed by the high turnout in Turkey. But they warn of unfair campaign conditions and difficulties in voting.
“Turkey does not fulfill the basic principles of democratic elections,” is the verdict of SPD member of parliament Frank Schwabe, who heads the Council of Europe’s election observer delegation.
He sees the following as a violation of the basic principles of democratic elections: “Central political and social actors are in prison, contrary to rulings by the European Court of Human Rights. Freedom of the media is severely restricted and there is a climate of self-censorship. Turkey is far from having fair election campaign conditions.”
According to the international election observers, fair conditions would mean, for example, equal opportunities to campaign for oneself. Instead, pressure was put on the Green Left Party YSP. Jan Petersen from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights complains that some of their followers and supporters were intimidated.
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For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the other hand, the conditions were excellent, says Fara Karimi, head of the delegation of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE: “In these elections, the incumbent president and the governing parties enjoyed unfair advantages.”
Erdogan enjoyed these advantages above all in the media, says Schwabe. He was able to see that for himself on the pro-government state broadcaster TRT: “When I’m watching an election campaign, I always turn on the television. Even if I don’t understand the language, I get an impression. And when I turn on TRT, The Official Turkish Channel, I have the impression that the President was very present,” says Schwabe.
lower voter turnout in earthquake areas
On the other hand, the international election observers were positively impressed by the high turnout. Around 89 percent of those eligible to vote in Turkey voted. That is around three percentage points more than five years ago.
Voter turnout was lower in the earthquake areas, Karimi notes, where mostly between 80 and 85 percent of eligible voters still voted. “It is worrying that voter turnout was lower in the areas affected by the earthquake, indicating that many people were unable to vote. In the event of a second round of presidential elections, we hope that concrete measures will be taken to ensure that everyone can be can exercise the right to vote,” says Karimi.
Adiyaman was an Erdogan stronghold in the past elections:
One reason for the lower turnout could be Turkish electoral law: You have to vote at your place of registration, there is no postal voting. But after the earthquake, millions of people left the disaster region. Because very few have re-registered, most people would have to return to vote – and that, says Karimi, is also a psychological challenge for many.
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The team of election observers also saw the count on the evening of the election as a challenge. Again and again, some polling stations were recounted. That gave room for rumors and speculation, says Schwabe. He would like more transparency – for him a basic principle of democratic elections.
