Election Region Security Meeting, which was held for the Presidential Election and the 28th Term Parliamentary Election, was held at Gölbaşı Provinces House.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Deputy Minister Mehmet Ersoy stated that they came together to reflect the free will of our citizens in the presidential and parliamentary elections, and to hold the elections in an environment of peace and security.
Indicating that the elections were followed closely from abroad as well as in Turkey, Deputy Minister Ersoy stated that they will fulfill their responsibilities with great care and diligence in these elections, benefiting from the experience they gained in the previous elections.
Explaining that as the Ministry, they planned the election security under three headings: campaign and propaganda, voting on the election day and post-election, Deputy Minister Ersoy said that the measures before the election day included meeting and gathering areas, setting up stands and distribution of brochures, and that the election period coincided with Ramadan. and sahur programs.
In addition, Deputy Minister Ersoy stated that the relevant units will be on duty to ensure security in the digital environment and continued his speech as follows:
“The most important issue we will pay attention to here is not to prevent freedom of expression for security reasons. In such an important election, the essential thing is to ensure freedom. Security exists to provide an environment of free expression and choice. In this respect, our main responsibility is to establish a safe environment where one cannot interfere with the freedom of others and where choices can be made and expressed freely. During the campaign period, we will definitely use a third eye while taking security measures in public and closed meetings. In other words, we will establish a mechanism that will monitor and control the measures taken from the outside.
We will not allow the distribution of election brochures, election materials and posters to minors under the age of 18 during election campaigns. As you can appreciate, in these studies, people can sometimes show extreme reactions and tensions can occur. There is a risk for our children to be given political party brochures in the hands of the little children of the neighborhood and send them in front of people they do not know, to their homes or to their doors. Therefore, we need to continue the practice in this way in order to protect our children.”
Measures to be Taken on Election Day
Deputy Minister Ersoy stated that the permits of all personnel working in law enforcement units were removed during the election process, except for mandatory cases, and said, "As of today, a total of 601 personnel will be on duty with our police, gendarmerie, coast guard, security guards and temporary security guards." he said.
Expressing that air elements, land and sea vehicles, news systems, intelligence units, and camera systems will take part in this process in an integrated manner in order to assist the security forces, Deputy Minister. Ersoy noted that all relevant units will be on duty with full capacity for the protection of sensitive people and energy infrastructures.
Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin, on the other hand, stated that the election calendar will start as of March 18 and said that their most important duty is to ensure that the elections are held in a safe and peaceful manner.
Emphasizing that their duty is to ensure that the will of our citizens is fully and completely reflected in the ballot box, without any pressure, Governor Şahin noted that all measures will be taken for this.