After the non-stop gerrymandering for the sake of "yes" votes in Turkey’s presidential referendum, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) supporters now try to prohibit the citizens who want to monitor the open counting of the votes.
DİYARBAKIR
The first news about the prohibition the citizens willing to monitor the open counting of the votes came from Diyarbakır, a province of southeastern Turkey.
At a polling station in Kayapınar district of Diyarbakır, voting citizens, who wanted to participate and monitor the open counting of the votes, were prevented by the police.
It is learned that the police unlawfully did not allow the citizens willing to monitor the open counting of the votes due to alleged public mandate.
İZMİR
The doors of a school using as a polling station in Bornova district of Izmir, a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, were closed to the citizens who wanted to participate and monitor ‘the open counting of the votes’. After the insistence of the citizens and the intervention of the lawyers from the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), the returning officers had to allow the citizens to monitor the counting.
İSTANBUL
After the completion of the voting process, the police attempted to close the school used as a polling station in Istanbul. As a result of the citizens’ objections to monitor the counting of their votes, the police had to cease its arbitrary and unlawful treatment.
According to the Turkish Constitution, counting and transcription of the votes as well as reporting the results to the minutes of the proceedings are made as public. Thus, it is a legal right for every citizen to participate and monitor the open counting of the votes after the completion of the voting process.
