“High Electoral Turnout for Turkish Voters in Baden-Württemberg, Germany”

The electoral turnout of eligible Turkish voters in Baden-Württemberg is high. More than 124,000 votes were cast.

Around half of the Turks who are eligible to vote in the south-west took part in the Turkey elections. According to preliminary information from the Turkish electoral authorities, around 124,000 Turks cast their votes in the consulates general in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. That is around 50 percent of the approximately 246,185 eligible voters who live in Baden-Württemberg according to the State Statistical Office. The Turks in this country could vote until Tuesday.

According to the Consulate General in Stuttgart, almost 150,000 people were called to the Turkish elections in the administrative districts of Stuttgart and Tübingen. According to preliminary figures from the electoral authority, 82,885 of them took part – a rate of 55.26 percent, roughly the same as in the 2018 elections. “It is striking that an increasing number of young people are exercising their right to vote,” said the Consulate General in Stuttgart.

“Our citizens showed great interest in the elections and there were no problems,” the Consulate General in Karlsruhe said. Both consulates in Baden-Württemberg expect a higher participation rate than in 2018. However, the results so far show that slightly fewer people took part in Germany than in the previous elections.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Islamic conservative AKP has to fear for his re-election after 20 years in power. Polls predict a neck-and-neck race between Erdogan and his challenger, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. This occurs as a joint candidate for an alliance of six opposition parties from different camps.