Voting outside Turkey, in embassies and consulates, for the second round of the presidential elections, which will be held on May 28, has been completed. Although the voting period has been shortened by a week (from 12 days in the first round to just five days now), turnout and votes are at an all-time high, indicating polarization among Turkish voters.

Voting was originally planned to last only two days in many countries, but overwhelming interest from voters outside of Turkey led candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s opposition Republican People’s Party to demand a three-day extension of the procedure at embassies and consulates, which they approved.

Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council announced on Wednesday evening that the number of voters who had voted abroad stood at 1,856,968. The voting period is May 20-24.

During the procedure of the first round, which actually coincided with the neighboring parliamentary elections, the number of voters who took part in the voting in embassies and consulates abroad, including in Greece, increased to 1,691,287 people.

The participation rate among registrants reached 49.4% in the first round. Now, in the second round, it is estimated to have exceeded 54.2%.

And voting at the Turkish customs, at the border, will continue as usual until May 28, the opening day of polling stations throughout Turkey.

Estimated Turkish expatriate votes tend to lean in favor of the Kemalists, so the heightened turnout is likely to favor Mr. Kilicdaroglu over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sunday’s second round.

Source: Anadolu, NTV