Arinc: "Turks abroad should be able to vote via e-mail"

The voting rights of expatriate Turks in this year's general elections hinge on the positive response of the German government, State Minister Faruk Celik said over the weekend. Ankara has asked for Germany's assistance in setting up voting booths at embassies and consulates there, said Celik, adding that he hopes to get a positive response from Berlin within days. "My impression is that the German government is warm to the idea, and I'm hopeful," he told a group of reporters aboard a plane en route from Ankara to Sudan. According to government estimates, there are some 2.5 million Turkish expatriates who are eligible to cast a vote in elections, and 60 percent of them reside in Germany. Celik is the state minister responsible for Turks living in other countries and is in charge of a new agency set up to deal with the problems of Turks living abroad. It is estimated that allowed to vote at embassies and consulates, European Turks could put as many as 24 deputies in Parliament. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, in Germany on Saturday for official talks, called it unacceptable that currently the only way Turkish citizens living abroad can vote in domestic elections is by traveling to the border. "We won't settle for this," he said. "We have work underway to enable citizens to vote at embassies and consulates or at least through mail and e-mail." In these efforts, security regulations and laws in Turks' adopted countries must be considered, he said, adding that within this framework Turkish citizens may be able to vote via e-mail. "This is what we're working for," he said. "We care about this issue very much. It is very important that each and every one of our citizens is able to express their political preferences. I hope that Turkish politics will be able to benefit from this in the June elections."