The presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey on May 14 have begun for the more than 100,000 Turks in Switzerland. They have until 9pm on Sunday to cast their votes.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Español
es
Las turcas y los turcos de Suiza acuden a las urnas
Three voting centres – at the embassy in Bern, the consulate general in Geneva and the Zurich Exhibition Centre – opened their doors on Saturday, the Turkish embassy in Switzerland told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA. They will remain open until May 7.
There are 105,820 Turkish voters registered in Switzerland, the embassy said, based on figures from the Supreme Turkish Electoral Council. A total of 64 million voters in Turkey and around the world have been called to the polls for an election that has been seen as a referendum against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This is the first time Erdogan is running against a united opposition.
In the 2018 presidential election, Erdogan came out on top in Switzerland with 37.2% of the vote, compared with 31.9% for the candidate of the social democratic CHP, Muharrem Ince, and 27.5% for the candidate of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas.
Erdogan’s result was judged “poor” at the time by the president of the federation of Turkish associations in French-speaking Switzerland, Celâl Bayar.
More
More
Swiss media frown upon result of Turkey’s election
This content was published on
The victory of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey’s controversial presidential elections has prompted mainly sceptical reaction in the Swiss press.
In the parliamentary elections, Erdogan’s Islamic-conservative AKP received 31.3% of the votes of Turks in Switzerland and was overtaken by the HDP with 40.8%. The CHP, founded by the father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, received 17.29%.
A year earlier, Turks in Switzerland rejected Erdogan’s proposed draft constitution with almost 62% of the vote. The bill ultimately won a narrow victory.
More
More
Erdogan: a hero for some, a dictator for others
This content was published on
“About 1,500 over the past two-and-a-half days,” says the policeman on duty when asked how many people have passed the checkpoint in Bern’s embassy district. He is referring to Turkish citizens permitted to enter the closely guarded embassy area and have their say on a set of 18 proposed amendments to the Turkish constitution which…
Switzerland to introduce flight passenger database
This content was published on
Switzerland plans to introduce a flight passenger database to collect and process personal data in a bid to combat terrorism and serious crime.
Government plans to invest over CHF16bn in Swiss rail network
This content was published on
The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period.
Swiss to vote on pension reform and biodiversity in September
This content was published on
Swiss citizens will vote on occupational pension schemes and a biodiversity initiative on September 22, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
Ukraine peace talks: 50 countries have confirmed participation
This content was published on
To date, 50 countries out 160 invited delegations have confirmed they will attend the Ukraine peace conference, held in central Switzerland in mid-June, according to Swiss public radio, RTS.
Federer-backed On boosts forecast after sneaker demand rises
This content was published on
Swiss footwear company On Holding AG posted strong first-quarter revenue, boosted by demand for its running shoes and new line of training apparel.
Michael Schumacher’s watches fetch CHF4 million at Swiss auction
This content was published on
Watches belonging to Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher sold for around CHF4 million ($4.41 million) at auction house Christie's in Geneva on Tuesday.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Turkish demand for fast-track visas to Switzerland on the rise
This content was published on
Switzerland has already received 1,500 requests for visas under an accelerated process for earthquake refugees, RTS reports on Friday.
This content was published on
As of Sunday evening, some 54,400 of the 95,263 Turks in Switzerland who are registered to vote back home had done so, according to the electoral commission in Ankara on Monday. The ballot boxes in embassies and consulates in Zurich, Bern and Geneva closed on Sunday a week before those in Turkey. In neighbouring Austria…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.