Turkish expats vote early as they fly in for holidays

By Alexandra Hudson

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Turks living abroad have been voting early as they arrive at Turkish airports or borders, anxious to play their part in an election they see as key to Turkey's future direction.

The rest of the country votes for a new parliament on Sunday in a poll being held months ahead of schedule after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted, business-friendly AK Party clashed with the country's secular, army-backed elite.

"It was extremely important for me to vote because Erdogan's policies are helping Turkey and I want Turkey to do well," said apprentice Mehmet Soke, 21, who flew to Istanbul on holiday from Germany with his wife, aunt and father. All voted AK Party.

At Istanbul airport, they joined long queues of citizens at bustling makeshift polling booths, juggling hand luggage, passports and ballot papers.

Moving November's poll to the height of summer has allowed non-resident Turks to vote as they flock home for annual holidays -- useful, since Ankara does not yet let them vote abroad by post, Internet or at embassies as many countries do.

If a straw poll of arriving voters reflects a larger picture, it could also play well for the AK Party which is widely expected to win a second term. Most supported the ruling party, praising its record in turning around the economy.

Soke said secularist arguments that Erdogan plans to erode Turkey's separation of state and religion were exaggerated.

"He is a democrat. He doesn't say that because his wife wears a headscarf everyone must. He is completely misunderstood," he said.

Ramazan Merner, a 38-year-old restaurant owner from Switzerland, said he and his wife also both voted for Erdogan.

"It is very important for Turkey that he continues his work. In 10 years' time when Turkey is booming we won't need to live and work abroad," he said.

Germany's Centre for Studies on Turkey estimated 400,000 non-resident Turks will vote -- a fraction of the 6.5 million Turkish citizens who live abroad, almost half in Germany.

Many of those unable to make it home for the month of border voting that ends on Saturday complain Turkey denies them a basic right by not allowing them to vote outside the country.

Those who do make it vote at land, air and sea borders since non-residents have no home constituency in Turkey.

Suzan Yucel, a Dutch-Turkish citizen who voted at the Bulgarian border, said she saw the AK Party as key to democracy.

The 19-year-old noted she can wear her headscarf in the Netherlands in places she cannot in Turkey, like at university.