- Title: Turkish citizens in Berlin take last chance to cast referendum ballots
- Date: 9th April 2017
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (APRIL 9, 2017) (REUTERS) TURKISH CONSULATE GENERAL VARIOUS OF SECURITY AT ENTRANCE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING OUTSIDE VOTING CABINS SIGN VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUING TO ENTER, CASTING BALLOTS VARIOUS OF BALLOT BOX CHAIRMAN OF BERLIN ASSOCIATION OF TURKISH OPPOSITION PARTY CHP, KENAN KOLAT, IN CONVERSATION (SOUNDBITE) (German) CHAIRMAN OF BERLIN ASSOCIATION OF TURKISH OPPOSITION PARTY CHP, KENAN KOLAT, SAYING: "Election turnout is generally low in Germany, and even in Berlin it's not very high. By now, Sunday morning, we are up to 37 percent and we think we are going to get over 40 percent (by the end). That's a success because it's not so easy - we've found that many citizens have been to Turkey at some point and visited some kind of administrative office, and then they are registered as living in Turkey, which means they can no longer vote here. We have seen that here, and it's about 10 to 15 percent of voters." TURKISH FLAG WOMAN IN WHEELCHAIR ENTERING VOTING CABIN (SOUNDBITE) (German) TURKISH CITIZEN, AYHAN A, SAYING: "Whether it's good or not, we'll have to see. But as a Turkish citizen I think it's my duty to vote. Whether the result is good or bad - let's wait and see." (SOUNDBITE) (German) TURKISH CITIZEN, ERKAN DILEK, SAYING: "The first positive change as I see it is that in the future there won't be any more coalitions. Our country has suffered a lot under coalitions, materially and psychologically. There have been crises under coalitions: no fuel, no petrol, food shortages, lack of money. That will all be gone if one person is in charge, whoever it is. I think that's positive." (SOUNDBITE) (German) TURKISH CITIZEN, SEFIK GUENEZ-DOGAN, SAYING: "He wants to rule alone, but I don't think that's good. I don't like the man anyway, what can I say? He doesn't get it, he thinks differently. The old Ottoman thing is over, we're a democracy now and I want it to stay that way. I don't want to march behind him." PEOPLE WALKING OUTSIDE VOTING CABINS
- Embargoed: 23rd April 2017 13:37
- Keywords: Turks referendum voting ballots vote Turkey Tayyip Erdogan
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0016BOF3NR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Turkish voters living in Germany had a last chance on Sunday (April 9) to cast their ballots in the constitutional referendum that proposes extending President Tayyip Erdogan's powers.
In Berlin, voters made their way to the consulate general to vote on whether to replace Turkey's parliamentary system with an executive presidency, a change Erdogan says is needed to give the NATO member and EU candidate nation strong leadership and stability in the face of mounting security challenges.
In Germany, voting in the Turkish referendum takes place from March 27 to April 9, with sealed ballot boxes then flown to Ankara to be counted on the evening of April 16, when people in Turkey vote.
Germany has about 3 million people of Turkish background, including some 800,000 ethnic Kurds. About 1.41 million are Turkish citizens eligible to cast ballots at the voting stations located mostly in Ankara's 13 consulates around Germany. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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