Striking statement on the election system controversy: 'We contacted the YSK yesterday...'

Supreme Election Council (YSK) President Ahmet Yener stated, "Change, development, and technology are now being used at the highest level in the world. We have completed all our preparations regarding the electronic voting system. The decision rests with the Grand National Assembly of Turkey." Following this, Cem Nuri Aldaş, Chairman of the Board of the TMMOB Chamber of Computer Engineers, posted, "We demand authorization to audit the created system on behalf of the public." Nasuh Mahruki, former president of the Search and Rescue Association (AKUT), also joined the controversy, stating on his social media account, "The Chamber of Computer Engineers must have the authority to conduct audits on your behalf in an early presidential election. If they are not audited, they will steal our votes, replace them with fakes, and win the election illegally again." Mahruki announced that a detention order was issued against him following his post. Mehmet Bilgiç, President of the Oy ve Ötesi Association, spoke to 12punto regarding the electronic voting system that has come to the agenda. Bilgiç explained the details of the system. 

"THE YSK DID NOT SAY 'WE HAVE A PROJECT'"

Speaking about YSK President Yener's post, Bilgiç stated that they had contacted the YSK, saying, "There is no electronic election system project planned by the YSK. We contacted them, but they did not tell us 'we have a project.' We contacted the YSK yesterday and told them that we could also contribute to this work; they replied, 'We do not have such a project at the moment, but we will first meet with political party representatives, discuss this issue, and then we will inform you if we encounter anything.'"

"A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IS REQUIRED"

Emphasizing that changing the election system depends on a constitutional amendment, Bilgiç stated, "As the Oy ve Ötesi Association, we held a workshop on the electronic election system, and we included YSK representatives and department heads as well. There are very different electronic voting systems in the world. Some use a system like e-Government, some use a system we might think of like electronic banking, and others use different systems. There are 6-7 different systems applied here, but it is not a very easy system for Turkey to say 'we are switching to this.' A constitutional amendment is required, and it can be legally applied in elections one year after the legislative change. In other words, if an early election is being discussed right now and it is not going to be in November 2025, it is not possible to implement this."

"IT CAN BE REALIZED AFTER 5 YEARS"

Stating that the system could only be established after 5 years, Bilgiç said, "Establishing the infrastructure for this and creating the system is not something that will be completed within a year. We are talking about 196 thousand ballot boxes across Turkey; it is not possible to install 196 thousand electronic devices, adapt their network systems, and connect them to the internet right now. Perhaps if a target is set for 5 or 10 years from now, this can be realized."

"A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT DOES NOT SEEM POSSIBLE"

Regarding the possibility of the electronic election system being included in the constitution in a potential constitutional amendment, Bilgiç predicted that the constitution would not change, saying, "It is not very easy. You need to reach 360 votes for it to go to a referendum, and you need to reach 400 votes for a constitutional amendment. It does not seem very possible right now according to the parliamentary arithmetic, but this is Turkey; anything can happen at any moment."

"IT IS TOO EARLY FOR AN ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEM"

Evaluating Mahruki's post regarding election security, Bilgiç concluded his remarks by saying, "That is Mahruki's own statement, but in all the work we have done over these periods, we have not encountered any irregularities that would change the election result. In other words, in the elections we have taken part in, both abroad and domestically, and in local elections, we have not encountered a result at the ballot boxes that would change the election outcome. I do not think it will happen much from now on either; as long as there are political parties and non-governmental organizations like us working for independent ballot box security, I do not think we will encounter this problem. It is too early for an electronic voting system; we first need to see the picture and the YSK's work."