Presidential Election, 10 August 2014

Press Conference

Following an official invitation, and based on the findings and conclusions of an OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission undertaken from 7 to 9 May, the OSCE/ODIHR has deployed a Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) to observe the 10 August presidential election.

Long-term observation

The OSCE/ODIHR LEOM, headed by Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, consists of 13 international experts based in Ankara. In addition, 16 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 16 July.

The mission will observe this election for its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as with domestic legislation. Observers will follow candidate registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant state bodies, implementation of the legislative framework, and the resolution of election disputes. As part of the observation, the LEOM will conduct a comprehensive monitoring of the media.

Election Day

While the mission would visit a limited number of polling stations on election day, systematic observation of voting, counting or tabulation of results on election day is not envisaged.

The day after the election, ODIHR will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the observation mission.

Co-operation with Other Partners

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are planning to deploy observer delegations for this election.

Previous elections

The OSCE/ODIHR has previously assessed three parliamentary elections in Turkey since 2002, most recently the 2011 parliamentary elections.