Legal action initiated against 10 foreigners posing as watchdogs in June 24 elections

Legal action has been initiated against 10 foreigners posing as electoral watchdogs who tried to interfere in Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections in four provinces, Turkish media said Sunday.

According to interior ministry sources, three French, three German and four Italian citizens were accused of falsely claiming to serve as observers for the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Turkey's eastern and southeastern Ağrı, Şırnak, Batman and Diyarbakır provinces.

The sources stated that the foreigners had no official accreditation.

The three French nationals were detained in eastern Ağrı province.

During the election day, official delegations from the OSCE, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will monitor voting procedures such as counting, casting and recording votes without interrupting polling boards.

The observers will prepare a report by monitoring the campaigning process, on election participation and on whether international election standards were upheld.

Six candidates are contesting at the Turkish presidential race while eight political parties, including two alliances, are taking part in the parliamentary elections.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan runs for re-election as the candidate of the People's Alliance, formed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Other candidates in the presidential election race are main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Muharrem Ince, newly formed Good (IYI) Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener, the Felicity Party's (SP) Temel Karamollaoğlu, the Patriotic Party's (VP) Doğu Perinçek and the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş.