MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2023) Early voting in the second round of Turkey's presidential election kicked off on Saturday at the country's embassy in Moscow, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
The polling place will be open from Saturday to Monday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time (05:00-19:00 GMT). Eligible voters can also cast their ballots at polling places in Turkey's general consulates in the Russian cities of Saint Petersburg, Kazan and Novorossiysk.
"So afterwards, we will transfer all the votes to Turkey for counting. That's why I hope all our citizens (living in Russia) will come and join us for voting processes," Turkish Ambassador in Moscow Mehmet Samsar told reporters.
The ambassador and his wife were among the first to vote in the early elections at the embassy.
Samsar also said that it was "very early" to predict the results of the runoff, adding that he was sure nothing would change in Ankara's policy toward Moscow.
The early voting in Turkey's presidential runoff is taking place in 77 countries around the world. Ankara earlier said there were over 3.4 million registered voters abroad.
Turkey held parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14. The first round saw incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan win 49.24% of votes and his main competitor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 45.07%. A runoff is set for May 28.
