UPDATE - Turkish expats in Mideast begin voting in presidential, parliamentary polls

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish expatriates in Mideast countries on Friday started casting ballots in Türkiye’s upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

Voting began in Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, and Algeria at the Turkish embassies and consulates.

On their ballots, voters will choose between four presidential hopefuls, in the following order: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (seeking reelection), Muharrem Ince, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and Sinan Ogan. In addition, 24 political parties and 151 independent candidates are vying for all 600 seats in the Turkish parliament.

Some 3.41 million people are expected to cast their votes abroad, including nearly 278,000 young first-time voters.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara