On Sunday, May 14, the Turkish nation will be casting its votes to determine the nation’s president and distribution of parliamentary seats. While this is an important day for Turkish citizens, several regulations surrounding the election may hold significance for foreigners residing in the country or visiting as tourists during this time leading up to voting day and before and after the election.

Held every five years, the presidential election day is determined and overseen by the Supreme Election Council (YSK), an independent institution responsible for conducting fair and transparent elections in Türkiye. The nation’s vote tends to be held on Sundays, and Turkish citizens who are 18 or older can vote in the election. After the polls close, the votes are counted, and the YSK announces the results. While this is both a general and a presidential election, in the latter’s case, the candidate who receives more than 50% of the votes will be elected president. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the votes, a second round of voting will be held between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round, which will take place on Sunday, May 28.

Foreigners forewarned

First and foremost, if you are in Türkiye now, you may have noticed an increase in political party propaganda. From meetings held by candidates and attended in the millions to campaign buses playing music and slogans, the 10 days before the election, which is the timeframe devoted to campaigning before the nation’s vote, can mean some streets are louder, more crowded than usual. Political party buses tend to blast out campaign music and ledges over loudspeakers that drive around the streets of urban areas, especially while certain city squares or parks might be the site of a campaign meeting. This means that access to certain roads may be curtailed or simply too crowded to navigate. Sitting outside and enjoying a cup of tea could be met with distractions and noise as campaigning convoys can be expected to drive around the most populated streets in cities and towns. The freedom to campaign and conduct propaganda allowed for the 10 days before the election will come to a close as of 6 p.m., May 13. Publishing polls, surveys, or anything that could influence votes is also prohibited in the 10 days following the country’s vote.

What to know about election day

On Sunday, May 14, Türkiye’s presidential and parliamentary elections will be determined by a total of 64.1 million voters both in Türkiye and abroad. Of this figure, 32.3 million registered voters are female, while 31.8 million are male. Of this figure, nearly a million are disabled, while almost 3.2 million voters are over 75. Voting polls were set up in 74 different countries and on May 9, voting abroad came to a close.

The hours of voting will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This means those obliged to vote should have precedence over transportation and navigating crowded areas. Thus, visiting foreigners should know that millions will be on the streets heading to their locally registered polls, traditionally held in public spaces such as schools. The number of voters casting ballots at a single polling station will be between 360 and 380 in cities and districts, while in villages, the number of voters should not exceed 400 for each polling station.

On election day, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be prohibited from 6 a.m. until midnight and many entertainment venues will be closed or restricted to solely serving food to patrons. Coffeehouses, teahouses and internet cafes will be closed on election day. Weddings may be held after 6 p.m. on the day. Also of note, schools will be closed on Monday, May 15.

The YSK, which designates the rules and regulations surrounding the elections, has prohibited any estimates and comments regarding the vote issued by the press or broadcast media until 6 p.m. From that time until 9 p.m., news and announcements about the election by the YSK may be published. While after 9 p.m., all broadcasts will be allowed, and the YSK may move up this timing on the day of.

If there is a 2nd round

If no presidential candidate achieves over a 50% of the vote, a second round will be held on Sunday, May 28, which will be a presidential election between the top two candidates. If the presidential election goes to a second round, the same prohibitions apply on May 28. Voting for the second round of elections will be held abroad at polls and customs gates between May 20 to 24. Many Türks have avoided making vacation plans between the dates of the two elections to avoid having to travel back and forth between holiday times and the region they reside in, where they are eligible to vote. For foreigners, this means there may be a small window of the final two weeks in May in which there may be more availability in accommodation and on flights and other forms of transportation.

May 19 national holiday

May 19 is the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (in Turkish Atatürk'ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı), which is a national holiday that celebrates Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s landing in Samsun on May 19, 1919, which is regarded as the start of the Turkish War of Independence. This means all public offices, such as banks, post offices and schools, will be closed on Friday. As this equates to a three-day weekend, many Turks may opt to vacation, meaning holiday accommodation could be in high demand. However, be prepared to witness parades and other demonstrations with school children on Friday to celebrate this annual holiday.