A PAM election observer mission was deployed to Istanbul from 23 to 25 June, at the invitation of the Turkish authorities. The delegation included MPs from Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Morocco, Tunisia and the PAM Secretary General.
The PAM team visited six polling stations in different districts of the Great Istanbul area. PAM observers assessed in positive terms the election process, both in regard to the role of officials and political parties’ representatives serving and managing, in a professional manner, the voting, counting and tabulation processes, as foreseen by the provisions of the electoral law.
The PAM observer team, which was granted free and unimpeded access to all the polling stations visited, noted that all technical provisions of the electoral law were adhered to in terms of procedures and equipment, to guarantee the effective identification and registration of voters, as well as the secrecy of the voting process itself.
The PAM team particularly appreciated the direct association to the voting process of the representatives of all political parties, and citizens at large, who were present throughout the voting day in all phases of the process, which contributed to its transparency. PAM delegates also noted the good gender balance in the composition of the electoral committees.
The polling stations, observed by the PAM team, had opened on time and all followed the standard procedures.
The PAM observers were free to talk to and ask questions, clarifications and collect information from the members of the local electoral committees, political parties’ representatives, citizens and law enforcement officials, who facilitated the task of the PAM team when needed, in those occasions when the officials of the electoral committees were not aware of the presence of international electoral observers in the country.
In the course of the visit, PAM delegates had also the opportunity to meet and exchange views with representatives of the international press covering the elections day.
The special arrangements made to facilitate the voting of elderly and disabled people were also appreciated.