Turkey's snap elections kicked off Sunday morning, and by the looks of it, things are already starting to get messy.
Reports on social media suggest a number of problems at the polls, from the arrests of international election monitors to detainments of candidates themselves. And it's important to keep in mind—this comes just after a wave of shut-downs of media organizations across the country charged with criticizing the government, so Twitter is looking like the safest option for election reporting from the ground.
Here's what we know so far.
1. International election observers have been detained in Istanbul.
BREAKING: Greek election observers detained by police in #Istanbul #TurkeyVotes - @dilkocer https://t.co/ccR47OUNWt
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) November 1, 2015
Some 300 foreign observers are supposed to be taking part in this election, but a number of sources reported detainments in Istanbul through the morning. Other reports claim more problems are hitting the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, where a Kurdish-majority makes up a stronghold for the leading Kurdish party, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). There and elsewhere, reports of both international translator and election monitor detainments circulated Twitter.
Hurriyet Daily News also confirmed the detainment of one election monitor from the HDP in the southeastern province of Gaziantep for "interrupting election security," but further details have yet to emerge.
First problems for observers in #Turkey elections: head of poll station in Golbasi is illegally banning observers https://t.co/x8oN3GhuMb
— Piero Castellano (@PieroCastellano) November 1, 2015
2. Opposition and Erdogan supporters are clashing enough to get tear gassed.
#LIVE: Police intervene with tear gas as AKP and HDP supporters quarrel https://t.co/EokLiXXqHF #TurkeyElections pic.twitter.com/WJD1SF0RVF
— Hurriyet Daily News (@HDNER) November 1, 2015
Hurriyet Daily News reported clashes between supporters of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and those from the pro-Kurdish HDP in the eastern province of Kocaeli Saturday afternoon. Police shot tear gas at voters after a fight broke out, allegely over a family's run-in with an AKP poll monitor.
3. Opposition offices and politicians are running into trouble.
BREAKING: 3 #HDP members on their way to vote taken into custody in #Izmir (W. #Turkey) #TurkeyVotes - @dijraberi https://t.co/C07Kxs8ey0
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) November 1, 2015
Hurriyet also reported the detainment of an opposition figure on election day—HDP provincial head Feyaz Şahin. The newspaper reports the Kurdish-party member refused to show his election observer card to the polling clerk, prompting an argument and subsequent arrest. Meanwhile, social media reports say HDP candidates themselves have been blocked from the polls and arrested.
