OSCE calls Turkish presidential polls democratic and successful

OSCE Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Arens said that the presidential polls in Turkey were democratic and successful, though not perfect. He noted that the OSCE monitoring mission had been observing campaigning and the elections for a month. The ambassador pointed out positive factors during campaigning such as use of foreign languages for Turks living abroad, RIA Novosti reports.

Concerning the flaws, Geert-Hinrich Arens noted that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had an advantage as the head of the government, the mass media were on his side and he had more time on TV. Moreover, the military and penitentiary centers did not vote.