Turkey Election: Voter fraud feared as video of alleged ballot stuffing emerges

The BBC's Turkish correspondent tweeted a video on Sunday that allegedly showed ballot stuffing at a polling station in Urfa - the video was not independently verified.

It’s not even midday but allegations of vote rigging emerge in southeastern town of #Urfa. Video appears to show a bulk of ballot papers cast into box, and observers unable to stop fraud. In preelection tension, 4 people had lost their lives in Urfa#TurkeyElection via @bbcturkce pic.twitter.com/1Mk0YXpNEw

— Selin Girit (@selingirit) June 24, 2018

Yine Urfa, yine bir kişinin peş peşe Erdoğan lehine oy verdiği görüntüler… pic.twitter.com/kJn6CX6yi5

— Solcu Gazete (@solcugazete) May 14, 2023

This week the Turkish state-run news agency carried a story suggesting that the OSCE observer mission was biased against Turkey. Ignacio Sanchez Amor, leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, called the story “a complete fabrication.”

#Seçim2018:
Şanlıurfa'da birçok sandığa ilişkin usulsüzlük iddiaları paylaşılıyor:
"CHP'den bende burada oy yok."https://t.co/6PfvcXzLF0 pic.twitter.com/LpfAkmppFt

— BBC News Türkçe (@bbcturkce) June 24, 2018

Two main candidates posing a tough challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections have cast their votes and vowed vigilance amid fears of possible fraud.

Erdogan and his ruling party are seen as the front runners in the dual polls but for the first time in his 15-year rule, the Turkish leader is facing a united and more energized opposition.

Rallies by Muharrem Ince of the secular opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, have drawn massive crowds, while Meral Aksener of the newly-formed nationalist Good Party is trying to attract conservative votes away from Erdogan’s ruling party.

Both leaders on Sunday alluded to fears of vote-rigging.

Ince voted in his hometown of Yalova in northwest Turkey. Aksener told reporters in Istanbul: “I hope these elections are beneficial and truly reflect the free will of the voters.”