100-year-old Aliye Tür, with her son Mehmet by her side, votes in the Turkish referendum
Neither age nor circumstance has stopped Turks from making their voices heard as they head to the polls to take part in the historic referendum
Turks from all walks of life have flocked to polling centers across Turkey to take part in the historic referendum on proposed changes to the country’s constitution.
100-year-old woman heads to the polls
At the polling stations a few voters, however, stood out from the rest. One such voter is 100-year-old Aliye Tür, who came to vote with the help of her 63-year old son, at a polling station in the province of Batman.
Speaking to reporters in Kurdish, Aliye said she’s casting her vote for Turkey’s future, which she envisions to be more beautiful and harmonious.
Her son, Mehmet, says he accompanied his mother to the polling station, adding that he will also vote for a more prosperous future for Turkey.
World’s tallest girl casts her vote
Rumeysa Gelgi, the world’s tallest girl under the age of 18, at 213.5 cm, cast her vote with her family. “I am very glad that I am able to do my civic duty. My civic duty is more important than anything else,” said Gelgi.
Setting a record three years ago as the world’s tallest girl under the age of 18, Rumeysa Gelgi proudly cast her vote. Due to her genetic disorder, the ‘Weaver Syndrome’, her body grew at a dangerously rapid pace. She was even included in the Guinness Book of World Records at 17 (3 years ago). Gelgi was brought to the voting station in a wheelchair by her parents.
Newlyweds cast vote on wedding day
A newly married Turkish couple, whose wedding day happened to coincide with the referendum, also chose to practice their civil duty and cast their votes in the province of Kütahya.
The bride, Fadime Demirel, explained how she and her then husband-to-be, picked the day for the wedding before the date for the referendum was set, saying that it only added to her excitement for the monumental day.
Demirel explained that they will later head to their home in the province of Manisa, her husband’s hometown, where he’ll cast his vote.
FETÖ suspect caught casting vote
In a strange incident, a FETÖ suspect, for whom an arrest warrant had been issued within the investigation regarding Fetullah Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PSS), was caught attempting to cast his vote in the northern Turkish city of Trabzon.
The suspect, known as E.O., for whom an arrest warrant was issued, had been detained in the school where he came to cast his vote.
The teams from the Anti-Smuggling and the Organized Crime Department of Police Office Of Trabzon initiated the arrest. The man who was being watched within the scope of the coup investigation, is one of the shareholders of Alparslan College, which was closed for being connected to the terrorist organization.
Having determined that E.O. would cast his vote at the Atatürk Elementary School, the police awaited him there and arrested him upon arrival. The legal proceedings for E.O. will be ongoing.
Voting takes only 12 minutes in this district
In one of Manisa’s districts with 12 voters, voting took only 12 minutes.
In the small district of Kayranokçular, voting was completed way ahead of time with only 12 voters.
The 12 voters arrived to cast their votes in a timely manner, and the box was closed after just12 minutes. The residents of the district calmly went back to their farming and other daily routines.
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#Referendum
#April 16
