Roughly 1.5 million registered Turkish voters living in Germany are heading to the polls, as voting opened for the largest diaspora taking part in Türkiye's most important election in decades.

The Turkish community in Germany, many of them the descendants of "guest workers" invited under a massive reconstruction program in the 1960s and 70s, can vote from Thursday to May 9 at 26 centers across the country.

Polls currently place President Recep Tayyip Erdogan either just behind or neck-and-neck with opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu ahead of the May 14 parliamentary and presidential vote.

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Erdogan, 69, is tackling anger over Türkiye's economic crisis and the government's response to a February earthquake that led to the deaths of more than 50,000 people.

With inflation topping 50 percent and the currency in freefall, many Turkish voters in Germany believe it's time for fresh presidential blood. 

"I am here because Türkiye is in a quite terrible situation right now. The economy is terrible, terrorism is the same," Kutay Yilmaz, 29, said at a Berlin polling station.

"I want to return one day. That's why I came here today and voted. I want the leader to change."

Nihan Kol, a 30-year-old accountant who has been in Germany since 2017, also said she wanted a "change for the better." 

"So many terrible things have happened in recent years but the earthquake was a real catastrophe. I think the earthquake will play a critical role in the results," Kol said.

However Mehmet Yasar Cakir, 67, said he was "not unsatisfied" with Erdogan, pointing to what he considered the veteran leader's successes as president.

"It's not 100 percent good or bad – of course there are good things that he did, for example in the social welfare system which is highly developed in Türkiye," he said.

A spokesperson for the Turkish Community of Germany said the election was a "huge issue" for both Turkish citizens and German nationals of Turkish origin and expected a high turnout.

The last Turkish national elections saw about 50 percent participation in Germany, with exit polls showing higher support for Erdogan than in Türkiye itself.

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