Turkish expats in Bulgaria start voting in presidential, parliamentary polls

By Ihvan Radoykov

SOFIA (AA) - Turkish nationals in Bulgaria started casting ballots Thursday for Türkiye’s upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

Many Turkish nationals started to line up in front of the Turkish Embassy in the capital city of Sofia from the early hours of the morning to cast their vote.

Apart from Sofia, polling stations were also set up in the Turkish diplomatic missions in the port city of Burgas and in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second biggest city.

Speaking to Anadolu, Turkish Ambassador to Sofia Aylin Sekizkok said that around 7,900 Turkish nationals are eligible to cast their vote in the elections and urged them to practice their citizenship right.

She said that the voting process in Bulgaria will continue until May 7.

In Türkiye, the elections will take place on May 14. On the presidential ballot, voters will choose between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking reelection, main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Muharrem Ince, and Sinan Ogan.

Meanwhile, 24 political parties and 151 independent candidates are vying for seats in the 600-member Turkish parliament.

About 3.41 million Turkish citizens are eligible to vote abroad, where voting has already begun in some countries.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk