17 May 2023; MEMO: Turkiye decried, on Tuesday, a report by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) election observation mission on Sunday's elections, Anadolu News Agency reports.
"Some political and accusatory statements in the report that went beyond the election process and inconsistent with the principles of independent and impartial observation were met with regret," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.
"It should not be forgotten that political analysis and biased comments will undermine the reliability of OSCE election observation missions," the statement said.
The Ministry said that a total of 489 international election observers followed Sunday's elections.
All kinds of cooperation have been provided by Turkish authorities so that the observation missions can properly carry out their activities, the Ministry said.
In their reports, delegations underlined that the elections were held in accordance with the standards of free democratic elections and with an exemplary high turnout, the statement said.
"International observers have confirmed with various statements that the elections in our country are held in a transparent, free, pluralistic and fair environment where ballot box security is ensured, as well as in accordance with international standards," it added.
Millions of voters went to the polls on Sunday in Turkiye to elect the country's president and members of its 600-seat parliament.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's People's Alliance won the majority in Parliament, while the presidential race is headed to a second-round runoff on 28 May, although Erdogan took the lead in round one.
