Türkiye criticizes 'politicized, biased' OSCE report on elections
Staff count ballots on the day of the presidential and parliamentary elections, in Istanbul, Türkiye, May 14, 2023. (Reuters Photo)


The Foreign Ministry criticized the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election observer mission’s report on Türkiye’s elections for being politicized and accusatory.

In a statement, the ministry said the report fails to comply with principles of independent and impartial observation, as it noted that politicized analysis and biased comments damage the credibility of the OSCE mission.

Highlighting that all Turkish authorities have cooperated with 489 observers to ensure they smoothly carried out their work, the ministry said the elections took place in a free, pluralistic, transparent, and fair manner as per international standards, with exemplary voter turnout.

"International observers have confirmed with various statements that the elections in our country are held in a free, pluralistic transparent, and fair environment where ballot box security is ensured, besides adhering to international standards," the ministry added.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Election Observation Mission welcomed peaceful elections in Türkiye.

Jan Petersen, the head of the OSCE Election Observation Mission, who has been in Türkiye for six weeks, congratulated the Turkish people for their democratic spirit and high turnout. However, the mission claimed Türkiye's Supreme Election Council (YSK) showed a lack of transparency in its handling of Sunday's elections.