415 foreign observers ready for Turkish elections

Some 415 observers from eight international organizations have been deployed to watch Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday.

According to information compiled by Anadolu Agency, the foreign observers -- including parliamentarians from several countries -- have completed their accreditation with Turkey’s Supreme Election Council.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has sent 234 observers, while the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCEPA) sent 72, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) deployed 35, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) sent 10 observers.

There are also five observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), 15 from the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries (TURKPA), 21 from the Turkic-Speaking Countries Cooperation Council (Turkish Council), and 23 from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

They are tasked with monitoring if the elections are carried out in a fair, free, and transparent manner.

The observers will be able to watch voting and ballot counting so long as they do not interfere with these procedures.

The election monitors will also prepare reports on whether international standards are followed.