HIGHLIGHTS:
- Missing ballot envelopes and deployment of government-paid imams in Australian voting centres have made headlines in Turkish media.
- Turkish envoy has said the missing envelopes were 'no big deal'.
- Over 53,000 people in Australia are eligible to vote in this Turkish national election.
As Türkiye gears up to go to the polls on 14 May in one of the most eagerly-watched presidential elections in recent times, more than 3.5 million eligible voters outside of the country, including Australia, have already cast their votes.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) face their biggest challenge to their 21-year rule from rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the social democrat Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the presidential candidate of a six-party coalition.
The significance of the poll has seen tensions boil over across Türkiye during the campaign, which has witnessed a number of shooting incidents and attacks on the opposition party's offices and rallies.
Turkish opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (left) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Credit: www.akparti.org.tr & www.chp.org.tr
Nine days of voting wrapped up in Australia over the weekend with around 20,000 of the eligible 53,000 Turkish-Australians casting their ballots at consulates in Sydney and Melbourne, and the Turkish Embassy in Canberra.
Although there were no major incidents in Australia, clashes took place in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, between supporters of Mr Erdoğan and the opposition.
Helicopters hovered over that polling centre and ambulances rushed to what the Amsterdam police chief described as a "major incident".
There was a visible Australian Federal Police presence around the Turkish Consulate in the eastern Sydney suburb of Woollahra during voting which ran from 29 April to 7 May.
A Turkish election official in Sydney, who wished to remain anonymous, told SBS Turkish that he was relieved the voting concluded “without an ugly incident”.
Voters at the Turkish consulate in Sydney.
This was a departure from the usual practice of appointing diplomats since overseas voting began in 2014.
The imams were deployed to Australia by the Turkish government as public servants years back, SBS Turkish understands.
The observer alleged the new officials "may be inclined towards the incumbent president".
[The imams] are likely to be supporters of the ruling AKP. We had to watch them closely.YSP election observer in Melbourne
Polling in Sydney made headlines in Türkiye when a ballot paper was found that had allegedly been stamped for Mr Erdoğan’s AKP before it was issued to a voter.
Following official complaints, the Turkish election commission announced it would open an investigation into the incident.
Furthermore, SBS Turkish reported last week that couriers transporting ballot papers from Istanbul to Australia on 26 April, had failed to bring over envelopes for them as required.
Envelopes are necessary to maintain the secrecy of an individual's vote.
Couriers from Türkiye at the airport on 26 April ahead of overseas voting in Australia. Credit: Avustralya Özgür Düşünce Platformu/Facebook
Turkish Ambassador Ufuk Gezer told SBS Turkish he did not know if the envelopes for the 2023 ballot were “forgotten” in Türkiye.
It may be a miscalculation but it’s not a big deal, because we had enough leftover envelopes from previous elections.Turkish Ambassador Ufuk Gezer
Turkish Ambassador Ufuk Gezer with Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau during a visit to Melbourne. Credit: Turkish Embassy/Facebook
According to party members who worked as officials at Australian polling sites, Melbourne didn’t receive any of the 28,000 envelopes it needed and Sydney only received 2,000 out of 22,000 that were needed.
Mr Gezer and the electoral commission did not confirm these numbers when asked.
First reported by SBS Turkish, the news about the missing ballot envelopes has been widely reported across the Turkish media. Credit: Collage by Ismail Kayhan
The Australian dollar has increased 217 per cent against the Turkish lira since 2019.
The general public has been struggling with the ever-rising cost of living in Türkiye, which tops global charts in the rate of inflation.
Tourists at a foreign exchange office in Istanbul in April. Source: EPA / SEDAT SUNA/EPA/AAP Image
Don’t sacrifice your president for an onion.Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Mr Erdoğan pointed towards the benefits that he says will flow from his successes securing local manufacturing of war drones, motor vehicles, an aircraft carrier and rich petrol and gas reserve discoveries across Türkiye.
Mr Erdoğan has also forged alliances with smaller parties and groups — mostly Islamists and nationalists.
Mr Kılıçdaroğlu, the opposition's presidential candidate, also has an alliance with five right-wing and liberal parties and has also managed to win support from the Kurdish-backed Green Left Party (YSP).
The YSP, formerly known as the HDP, was the third biggest party in the 2018 elections and Mr Kılıçdaroğlu is promising change and a peaceful solution to the Kurdish "problem".
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) started a guerilla war against the Turkish government in 1984 to form an independent Kurdish state which has seen tens of thousands killed since.
Prices of basic food supplies like vegetables have shot up in Türkiye which has become a major election issue. Source: EPA / ERDEM SAHIN/EPA/AAP Image
As a result, many parliamentarians, leaders and mayors of the HDP landed in prison.
Fearing the HDP might be forced to close down by a constitutional court before the election, the YSP was established for the sole purpose of contesting the current elections.
Support for the YSP has since triggered the Erdoğan camp to accuse Mr Kılıçdaroğlu of being a "supporter of PKK terrorists," an outlawed organisation fighting for an independent Kurdish state in Türkiye.
For Australian resident İlkay, voting at the Turkish consulate in Melbourne presents an opportunity to have her say in a country that is home to her relatives and other loved ones.
I care about Türkiye, I love going there. I am happy to have a say in this election.Turkish-Australian voter Ilkay
Bilal, an international student and first-time voter in Australia, said he hoped people’s wishes will be fulfilled in this election.
The results of the presidential and parliamentary elections are expected on 15 May.
