The neck-and-neck race for the Turkish presidential post is entering a second round. 111,000 Austrian-Turks were also allowed to vote. And they chose – unlike in Turkey itself – with a clear majority Recep Tayyip Erdogan…
While in Turkey 49.51% voted for the incumbent party, the situation in Austria is different. Of the 111,000 Turks in Austria, no less than 71.9% voted for Recep Tayyip Erdogan! Turkey’s ambassador to Austria, Ozan Ceyhun, explains: “Voting behavior abroad is always different and people are clearly satisfied with the government.”
FPÖ demands identity checks – the ambassador has no problem with that
The ambassador understands that some people find it incomprehensible that – if you live in Austria – you want to have a say in political life in Turkey. For ‘human reasons’ it is important that the Austro-Turks, who are not allowed to have a say in Austria, can at least use ‘their democratic rights’ in Turkey. The FPÖ’s proposal to carry out identity checks to expose illegal dual nationalities has even been echoed by Ambassador Ceyhun: “I have no problem with that!”
“The secret service has other things to do than exert influence”
When asked about the concerns of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in a report about the political instrumentalization of the Turks in Austria through foreign intelligence services, the ambassador puts that into perspective. “The Secret Service has other things to do than influence voters,” said Ambassador Ceyhun.
Watch the full conversation above!
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
