Turkish voters in Doha headed to their country's embassy once again to cast their ballots in one of the most critical election races in its modern history.
Voting for the run-off election took place at the embassy in Qatar between Saturday and Monday.
The election ended in uncertainty on May 15 as neither incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu won more than half of the votes cast.
“Even though we are away from home, there are several factors that we thought about while making our decision. But most importantly, we saw what our country needs,” said Sami, 36, who lives in Qatar.
“All Turkish people want the country’s economy to improve. That is our priority.”
Sami and his wife also voted in the first round of the polls at the beginning of the month. Over 10,000 Turkish voters in Qatar cast their votes at the time.
Critical choice
On May 28, voters in Turkey will be asked to choose between Mr Erdogan, who has been in power for 20 years, and opposition leader Mr Kilicdaroglu.
A business consultant in Doha, who did not wish to be named, listed the country’s economic situation among the primary factors in deciding her vote.
“Where we are located makes no difference,” said the 46-year-old, who has been in Doha for the past three years. “The decision of who to vote for is not an emotional one, it is practical. It is based on the economic situation of the country. The inflation rate has increased incredibly and it needs to be fixed.
“Democratic vision and a secular ideology are also crucial factors.
“Voting abroad has helped. Turkish people are very active voters and even the diaspora has found a way to exercise their right to vote. What happens eventually, that we will wait and see.”
The resident Turks in Qatar both agree that voting by the Turkish diaspora will have a significant effect.
Ozge, 43, cast her vote for the second time from Doha too.
“In 2018, the number of diaspora voters in Qatar was around 3,000 and now it is over 10,000. That is a substantial number,” she said.
“Whoever wins, what I hope to see in the new regime is good governance, better co-operation and decision-making on matters of the economy, and an effective parliament which deliberates on policies,” said Ozge, who has been in Doha for nine months.
“Ensuring justice and rule of law is also important.”
The first round saw a record 88.92 per cent voting in Turkey, with more than three million people having voted from abroad at overseas diplomatic missions and airport customs.
Experts have said that diaspora votes will play an “important role” in the elections.
Dr Ebru Turhan, an associate professor at the Turkish-German University in Istanbul, told The National earlier this month that the influence the diaspora had on Turkey's 2017 constitutional referendum was substantial.
“The voting preferences of the Turkish diaspora … played a pivotal role in the referendum race which was won by the ‘yes’ camp by a very close margin.”
Ankara has said diaspora voter turnout has surpassed that of 2018, with at least 200,000 new voters in the diaspora eligible to go to the polls this year.
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
6pm: Taamol
6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
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Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
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