Not including countless 'social media' reports. Unsubstantiated, of course.Turkey's election has various monitors from different organizations. As you will read below. TASSTurkish Woman Votes In Istanbul
ANKARA, June 24. /TASS/. Early presidential and parliamentary elections that were held on the same day for the first time in Turkey’s history finished without any serious incidents as polling stations closed at 17:00 local time (same as Moscow Time) on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported.According to Turkish Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul, no serious incidents were reported across the country on the voting day. Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said no serious violations of the law had been reported. The European security watchdog OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) reported no restrictions concerning election monitoring procedures either.
Security has been tightened in Turkey’s major cities. At least 16,000 police officers will be on duty in Ankara, and more than 38,000 law enforcement personnel will ensure security in Istanbul.
Hundreds of journalists, local observers and 415 representatives from eight international organizations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, will monitor the vote.
Repeating:
Hundreds of journalists, local observers and 415 representatives from eight international organizations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, will monitor the vote.
Six candidates, including Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are taking part in the presidential race. Erdogan’s main challenger is Muharrem Ince of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Turkey uses paper ballots with an official seal on it. There are reports of the HDP attempting to add fraudulent ballots to the voter boxes
Turkish authorities have opened legal proceedings against three people who attempted to cast fraudulent votes for the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in eastern Turkey's Agri province.Legal proceedings have also be opened against an HDP observer who allegedly abetted the fraud attempt.The accused attempted to cast votes using forged ballot papers, which they presumably copied from the internet, according to a statement.Officials identified the fake papers as they were not carrying a seal by the election council."Legal proceedings have been initiated against the people who attempted to cast the fake ballot papers and an HDP observer who stealthily placed the fake ballot papers into their pockets," said the governor's office.
It's being reported police had to resort to firing guns in the air after they'd been tipped off to an attempt at ballot box stuffing.Link
Turkish police had to fire into the air to stop a vehicle they had been tipped off was being used to rig the election in Suruç, Urfa province, left-wing newspaper Evrensel said .
Four sacks filled with pre-stamped voting papers were found in the car plate number 27 BSU 52, and its three passengers were arrested.Police had been tipped off that the votes were to be switched in for the real votes in order to help fix the election.
In my opinion the AKP party will win this election. The HDP party was in danger of losing it's official status- and would have an incentive to rig votes in order to maintain their place.I've never known of such security measures here in Canada during elections. Never see law enforcement around- Ever. I suspect the police being out in full force- along with the presence of so many observers suggests of an expectation of outside interference. And after the coup attempt, it's understandable.The prospect of AKP winning this election was surely the impetus for this article at Gulf news:"Erdogan has turned into a geostrategic threat"- from Simon Tisdall of the Guardian. Before getting to the Gulf article I'm including an excerpt from Jonathon Cook's facebook page regarding Mr Tisdall
"Simon Tisdall was once my boss at the Guardian. Either I've changed a lot since I left the paper more than a decade ago (undoubtedly true!), or he's subsequently become nothing more than a mouthpiece for the US-Israeli security establishments (and there's plenty of evidence for that!)"
Now Gulf News:
The prospect of a triumphantly re-elected Recep Tayyip Erdogan armed with sweeping new presidential powers is deeply alarming to many Turks, but it is also a scary prospect for the international community. ( Read, Usrael)
Lots of rubbish about human rights abuses- as if that really matters. Tears for the PKK terrorists.
" His growing military collaboration with Vladimir Putin, symbolised by the purchase of advanced Russian S400 missiles, seem certain to get worse if he wins a new five-year term. Turkey’s voters have a duty to the world, not just to themselves. Kick him out"
-Collaboration with Russia. Worse for who?- Turkey's voters have zero duty to the world.