International observers assess Turkey's general election
Parliamentary elections took place in 'peaceful' environment, say observers
Observers from international institutes said Turkey's general election took place in a "peaceful" environment, that election day was organized in "an efficient manner" and that the counting process was considered "transparent and well organized".
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) issued Monday a "Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions" concerning Turkey's 26th parliamentary elections.
Ignacia Sanchez Amor, the special coordinator and leader of the OSCE observer mission, said Turkish citizens made a choice between "genuine and strong political alternatives in the highly polarized election".
Andreas Gross, the head of the PACE delegation, said: "It is even more vital that the president works for an inclusive political process to deal with problems facing Turkey, ensuring those who lost these elections, are able to be heard."
Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, the head of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) observation mission, added : "Once again, our assessment, based on our observation over the past five weeks is not simply black-and-white, and while there were positive elements, there were also shortcomings."
In the statement, the international observers hailed the Supreme Board of Election (YSK) over "well-organized" elections and said the board "was able to meet all deadlines despite the shortened election calendar".
The observers also commented on women participation and said: "Women played an active role in the campaign, although they remain underrepresented in political life. On a positive note, some parties implemented gender quotas and introduced affirmative measures for enhancing the participation of women."
According to the statement, in seven polling stations IEOM observers were asked to leave and in several instances citizens observers accredited on behalf of political parties were denied access.
"Election day was generally peaceful. In the limited number of polling stations visited by international observers, election was generally organized in an efficient manner... The counting process was assessed as transparent and well organized, although there were some instances where procedures prescribed by law were not followed," said the statement.
