Voting for early Turkish polls to begin June 9 in US

WASHINGTON

Turkish citizens living in the U.S. will be able to cast their ballots for Turkey’s early presidential and parliamentary elections between June 9-17.

Last month, the parliament passed a bill calling for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey’s move to a presidential system. In an April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters had approved the switch from a parliamentary system to a presidential one.

According to a statement by the Turkish Embassy in Washington, Turkish expats in the U.S. will be able to vote for nine days from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. local time at the Turkish embassy in Washington and in consulate generals in Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Chicago.

If no presidential candidate can obtain an absolute majority of votes, a second round will be held on July 8.

Turkish expats in the U.S. will also be able to vote for the second round between June 30-July 4.

Over 100,000 Turks are eligible to vote across the U.S..

New York is home to the largest Turkish population in the country, with 38,000 people.

Reporting by Hakan Copur:Writing by Nilay Kar