MELBOURNE, Australia
Turkish citizens living in Australia went to polling stations Friday to become the first to cast their ballots ahead of Turkey’s general election on June 7.
Of the 41,126 Turkish citizens eligible to vote in the country, 142 cast their ballots on the first day of overseas voting.
Melahat Ozkan -- the first person to vote at the Turkish Consulate General in Melbourne, one of three stations including the Embassy in Canberra and Consulate General in Sydney -- expressed her excitement about voting for the first time in Australia.
After arriving at the ballot in the morning, she told Anadolu Agency, "like every citizen, we want the very best for our homeland and people. God willing there will only be better days after this for our homeland."
The polling stations in Australia will be open from 10.00 a.m. (0100GMT) to 7.00 p.m until May 31.
Mehmet Kucuksakalli, Turkey's consul general to Melbourne, told Anadolu Agency after the station closed that he was pleased to see the participation of not only residents of the city, but others living kilometers away.
"It was a very good start to see citizens from all segments [of our society] participate,” he said. “On the first day, 83 of our citizens cast their votes. We are expecting more of our citizens to come Saturday and Sunday."
Kucuksakalli thanked the voters and those working at the polls and election commissions for their “democratic maturity fit for our nation and people.”
Turkey's Supreme Election Board had announced earlier that 112 polling stations would be opened in 54 countries to serve the almost 3 million Turkish nationals living abroad.
June’s contest will be to elect 550 members of parliament from 20 political parties competing in the country's 25th general election.
