Ballots from a war zone: The journey of votes from Ukraine to Turkey

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I participated in the three-day election in Odessa as an official ballot box keeper for the CHP. The 12-hour period from 9 am to 9 pm provided me with a comfortable opportunity to observe. The first vote was cast at around 9.30 am on the first day. Coincidentally, the first vote was from our fellow citizen from Yozgat. As he approached the ballot area with his pine-branch body and jokes, his arrival resembled a scene from a movie. I also had a chance to chat with my compatriot, who is an academic. He said that Turkey cannot bear his intellectual advancement. Eighty-two votes were cast on the first day.

When I said "I'm a socialist"

The second day passed more calmly. Forty-six votes were cast. I had plenty of opportunities to chat with the people who came. The war deeply affected the people living here and dealing with trade. They talked about the days of evacuation. How they were devastated on the road and how they got sick still remains in their memories. Some have returned. Because they make a living here.

It is said that 5,000 people from Turkey lived here before the war. I had the opportunity to travel and observe the city for three days before the election. The historic buildings in Odessa are stunning. It is possible to meet a person from Turkey everywhere. There are many business names in Turkish. Their attitudes towards me were very friendly. Only a young student jumped out of his seat like a Russian missile, saying, "I can't sit at the same table with a socialist" when I told him that I was a socialist.

Bet on how many people will vote

Everyone knows each other in the city, and their relationships are very good. There were two very severe explosions during my stay. Of course, these attacks by the Russians scare people, but just like in Zaporizhzhya, people here are used to war. I witnessed a conversation with someone who explained why he lives here. "Brother, I'm going to İstanbul, fighting, noise, this place is calmer," he said. The city as a whole is really calm in the middle of the war. I listened to live music in a park with hundreds of people for 3 hours. The musician was a professional. My return to home was legendary. The driver gave us a live music feast.

On the last day of voting, a bet was placed among the election officials on how many people would come that day. I said the highest number. I was going to say 40, but I reduced it to 35 so as not to look ridiculous compared to the numbers of people living there. In fact, many of the people I talked to said they would come together on the last day. I reduced 40-45 in my mind because I did not trust them and myself.

Two young people came near the closing time of the ballot box. One was from Batman. He had brought the other with him, as if dragging him by his arm. The person he brought went into the voting booth. He was indecisive there for a long time. This situation led to laughter outside. He finally cast his vote. I congratulated the young man who brought him to lay claim to his country's destiny. I also saw many young people who do not care about the election but study there. However, my general impression is that people are aware of the importance of this election.

We delivered the votes on Tuesday

What was the number for the last day? Forty-six votes. It's like a joke, the same as the previous day. If I had more confidence in myself and the people there, I would have hit the exact number.

We gathered at the Moldovan Chișinău Embassy to bring the votes to Turkey. In Comrat, 98 out of 122 voters cast their votes. This is a record turnout.

On the evening of May 8th, we arrived in İstanbul on Turkish Airlines' 21:10 flight and handed over the votes to the officials here.

Meanwhile, I learned that our neighbor's son-in-law had lost his life in the war in Donbas. This was one of the two soldiers' funerals that happened very close to the village where I lived in Zaporizhia. (İD/AÖ/VK)