Fight breaks out between ballot box observers in Brussels amid voting for Türkiye's presidential election

By Selen Temizer and Omer Tugrul Cam

BRUSSELS (AA) - Fighting broke out late Tuesday in Belgium’s capital between ballot box observers as voting continued for Türkiye’s May 28 presidential runoff election.

The incident took place around 9 p.m. local time (1900GMT) at Brussels Expo, where observers from a group linked to Türkiye’s Green Left Party verbally and physically attacked their counterparts from the People's Alliance.

Two voters were injured following attacks with chairs and iron bars.

One of the injured voters, who was hit on the head with an iron bar, was taken to a hospital.

Police were dispatched to the scene, and the entrances to the building where the voting took place were closed.

Over 1.4 million Turkish expats have cast ballots at the country's foreign missions and customs gates.

Millions of voters went to the polls on May 14 to elect the country's next president and the members of its 600-seat parliament.

On the presidential ballot, voters chose between incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, representing the People's Alliance, Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and joint candidate for the six-party opposition Nation Alliance, and Sinan Ogan of the ATA (Ancestral) Alliance.

Erdogan finished the first round with 49.52% of the vote, with Kilicdaroglu second at 44.88%.

Türkiye will hold a second-round runoff on Sunday to elect the president after no candidate won an outright majority in May 14's poll.

The first round of voting ended with no candidate able to clear the required 50% threshold, but incumbent President Erdogan took the lead.