site.btaSmooth Voting Reported in Bulgarian Elections in Turkiye

Voting in the polling stations in Turkiye for Bulgaria's snap parliamentary elections ended at 20:00 local time after a smooth voting day. Turnout was not high at most polling stations in Turkiye, including the regions of Izmir, Bursa and Luleburgaz.

Bulgarian citizens in the Turkish capital Ankara voted in three polling stations: the Bulgarian Embassy and the boroughs of Pursaklar and Sincan. At the embassy and in Sincan, voting was by paper ballot only, while in Pursaklar citizens had the opportunity to vote by machine as well. 

There were no incidents. The turnout was similar to the June elections.

In Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, where 18 polling stations were opened, around 7,000 voters had cast ballots by 19:30. No irregularities were registered, and the voting went smoothly, Abdurahim Nursoy, chairman for Izmir of the Balkan Expatriates Culture and Cooperation Society (Bal-Goc), told BTA.

He added that the turnout was similar to previous elections.

About 13,000 people voted in the city of Bursa by 7:30 p.m., Dr. Taner Çavuş, who was involved in the organization of the elections, told BTA. He reported some irregularities, including cases of canvassing in Bursa (which is prohibited on election day). He said there were also few problems with the voting machines.

In Luleburgaz, voting was generally normal, except for tensions in the morning hours, Vasfye Sonmez, a member of the Bal-Goc Trakia expatriate society, told BTA.

Security measures were stepped up around the Bulgarian embassy and the polling section in the Pursaklar borough. Security measures in the Turkish capital are extremely high following last week's deadly attack, which killed five people and injured more than 20.