Kurds need a party that works for an INDEPENDENT KURDISTAN

[Anthea]

2024 Turkish local elections

The next local elections in Turkey are scheduled for 31 March 2024.[ Because of long-running court cases the Green Party and the Humanity and Freedom Party cannot get on the ballot (unsure if this is still the case)

Regarding political associations, the 8th Administrative Court of Ankara found unlawful the stance of the Ministry of Interior, which prevented the establishment of the Green Party by not providing a 'received' certificate for the application and decided to stay the execution of the process.

The Court of Appeal has since removed the stay of execution decision regarding the Ministry of Interior's act, the Green Party is again prevented from being established and the case is still pending. The file for the establishment of the Humanity and Freedom Party is pending before the Constitutional Court

[Anthea]

Ultranationalist figure to reclaim Ankara

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday announced his party’s candidates in 48 provinces across Turkey, handpicking ultranationalist figure Turgut Altinok to reclaim the municipality of Ankara from the opposition

Erdogan participated in a Justice and Development Party (AKP) event in the Turkish capital of Ankara to announce the candidates who will run in the country’s local election set to take place in March.

Turgut Altinok, an ultranationalist figure and incumbent mayor of Ankara’s Kecioren district was handpicked by Erdogan to take on Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas.

Erdogan’s AKP historically lost the mayoralty of the Ankara and Istanbul provinces in the 2019 local elections to the opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidates, after nearly 15 years of AKP dominance in Turkey’s biggest provinces.

Altinok became a prominent figure in Turkish politics when he was elected Kecioren mayor in 1994, winning the race as the candidate for the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). He became a member of the party at the age of 25 in the 1980s when it was called the Nationalist Task Party (MCP).

Altinok is also known for his feud in the 2000s with then Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek, an exponent of AKP. The two periodically exchanged accusations of the other running “Turkey’s most in debt municipality”.

Altinok was selected to go against another former MHP member and ultranationalist figure, Mansur Yavas, a shift from the more ideologically lenient Mehmet Ozhaseki who was Erdogan’s pick in 2019.

During Thursday’s event, Erdogan announced 47 other mayoral candidates alongside Altinok, including those set to run in Izmir and Diyarbakir. The candidate for Istanbul was not announced yet.

The Turkish President announced Hamza Dag, Erdogan’s deputy in AKP will be running for the “republican fortress” of Izmir, where CHP has been in power for over two decades.

In Diyarbakir (Amed) Erdogan chose a Kurdish candidate, Mehmet Halis Bilden, to run against the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).

DEM Party is set to officially announce its Diyarbakir candidate soon. Rudaw learned in December that the party plans to field veteran politician Leyla Zana to run for office in the Kurdish city

CHP’s win in the 2019 local election was mainly attributed to the decision of the DEM Party, then running as Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), not to field candidates in the major cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Antalya.

As a result of this strategy, the AKP lost all four provinces to the CHP, marking the first time in 15 years that the AKP lost in Ankara and Istanbul. However, the pro-Kurdish party reiterated on multiple occasions that in they will not adopt the same policy in the 2024 vote.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/19012024

[Anthea]

Erdogan: local elections his last

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the local elections later this month will be his last, alluding to bringing an end to his reign as leader of Turkey that spanned two decades

“For me, this is final,” Erdogan said in a shock announcement at a youth foundation in Istanbul.

“With the authority the law confers to me, this election is my last,” the 70-year-old added, referring to local elections set to take place at the end of this month.

The Turkish president is still confident that his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will win the vote. “The outcome that will emerge will be a blessing for my brothers who come after me,” he said.

The news of Erdogan’s possible retirement was received with some skepticism.

“I feel like Erdogan is building emotions with this statement to capture more cities in the mayoral race,” journalist Ragip Soylu wrote on X. “He may change his mind a few times until then or could try to amend the constitution.”

Erdogan is the only president in Turkish history elected directly through a public vote and has served three terms in the post. His first term came after winning the 2014 election. Following a 2017 referendum on amendments to several constitutional articles that changed the country’s system from parliamentary to presidential, he won a third presidential term.

He was previously prime minister for 11 years and before that was mayor of Istanbul.

For over two decades, Erdogan has gained a reputation as an undefeated figure, dominating elections. However, while he won the 2019 election, his party lost the mayoralty of the country’s largest two cities to the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

In this final election that he will contest, Erdogan hopes to regain Istanbul and Ankara from the CHP.

In the latest poll conducted by MetroPoll on March 2, CHP’s incumbent Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu marginally leads the race against AKP’s candidate Murat Kurum.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/09032024

[Anthea]

Top parties in tight race for Mardin

Campaigns for Turkey’s local elections are ongoing in the country’s southeastern Mardin, with ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and the Kurdish Islamist Free Cause Party (Huda Par) in a tight race for the city’s mayoralty

Ahmet Turk, DEM Party candidate, stressed during an interview with Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih on Tuesday that the upcoming elections and the municipality of Mardin are of great significance for the party, adding that they wish to better serve the Kurdish population of the city.

“Wherever there is a gap in service provision, we will serve our people there,” said the former two-time Mardin mayor.

Turk added that he does not believe Ankara will appoint a trustee in Mardin following the upcoming elections, because the process has been heavily criticized in the past and “the people will not stand for it.”

Dozens of elected pro-Kurdish mayors in Turkey have been stripped of their offices over the years and replaced with state-linked trustees (administrators) due to their alleged links with the Kurdish rebels.

Abdullah Erin, AKP’s candidate, criticized Turk’s previous mandates as mayor of Mardin and urged voters to put their trust in fresh candidates.

“DEM Party does not have economic or agricultural projects for Mardin, and has no agenda to serve women and the youth,” Erin told Rudaw, noting that the AKP on the other hand, has planned out around 470 projects across different parts of Mardin.

Erin claimed that there are no longer any obstacles preventing the Kurdish population of Mardin from freely practicing their own traditions and culture.

“In Mardin, different ethnicities and religions coexist and Kurds have the same rights as Turks… Now, any child that wishes to learn the Kurdish language can do so. Kurds are not being discriminated against, but there are parties trying to sow sedition among Kurds and Turks,” he said.

Ismail Cevik is Huda Par’s candidate for Mardin’s mayoralty. He told Rudaw that the party seeks to consolidate a policy of justice in the city and serve all its components without discrimination.

“The municipality serves the needs of all the people as one… Huda Par considers itself a party for all ethnicities,” said Cevik, adding that Kurdish needs to be established as an official language and taught in schools.

Turkey is set to hold local elections on March 31.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/13032024

Ahmet Turk may not have great plans but he has the LOVE and RESPECT of most people, including myself, and he will do his upmost to provide for the needs of the people

[Anthea]

Kurds have been slaves for 100

Do NOT vote for people who pretend to be pro-Kurdish when all they seek is to keep Kurds as second class citizens in their own country

As we all watch Palestine fight for freedom and people of Donbass fight for rights to keep their culture and language, remember the once PROUD Kurdish population whose country stretched across vast areas between the Ottoman and Persian

Your country was stolen from you and divided, your once proud people slaves

Remember all the PROUD Kurds who spent their entire live struggling politically for independence, remember those who became martyrs as they died fighting for an INDEPENDENT KURDISTAN

Do NOT allow so-call pro Kurdish parties to keep you suppressed

Think of your children - give them a country

FREE KURDISTAN

[Anthea]

Erdogan eyes Istanbul comeback

Erdogan has assigned former Environment Minister Murat Kurum to run for mayor of Istanbul in the March 31 polls

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vows to win back Istanbul as the people are due to vote next Sunday in the ongoing local elections, particularly after the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)'s Ekrem Imamoglu took over the town hall.

The CHP also has a hold on the capital Ankara and keeps power in the port city of Izmir, both losses for Erdogan, who has assigned former Environment Minister Murat Kurum to run for mayor of Istanbul in the March 31 polls.

Imamoglu is the CHP's best bet as they hope to win back the presidency from Erdogan's AKP in the next round of presidential elections in 2028.

Erdogan will remain president of Turkey until 2028 after winning 52,10% of the vote, giving him an entire decade in power after he originally became president in 2014.

Anthony Skinner, director of research at geopolitical advisory firm Marlow Global, told AFP, "Imamoglu is an effective political operator and at this point in time represents one of the very few glimmers of hope for constituents who oppose Erdogan and the AKP."

This comes amid a divided opposition front, which, unlike the previous election, could pave Erdogan's way to winning back the last elections' losses.

"The underperformance of the political opposition at the May 2023 elections demonstrated its failure to effectively challenge the political status quo, and, by extension the resilience and resourcefulness of Erdogan," Skinner added.
Istanbul is the 'gateway to the world'

Erdogan is leading the AKP campaign and uses broadcasts daily on television, while the opposition candidates use social media instead.

For now, the AKP's failure to get inflation of 67% under control could hurt chances of candidate Kurum's chances of winning Istanbul, but a major rally in Istanbul is due to be held by Erdogan hoping to unite Kurum supporters.

Berk Esen, an associate professor at Istanbul's Sabanci University, illustrated Istanbul as "the biggest prize in Turkish politics" and said Istanbul was crucial for the President, who said that the current local elections would be his last.

"Obviously, this is his city... But it goes beyond that", Esen said, noting that "Istanbul is a city with enormous municipal resources that provides services to 16 million citizens."

Erman Bakirci from Konda polling company claimed that "Imamoglu is ahead" in Istanbul and that there could be "a gap between the polls and the actual election results."

Meanwhile, Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, head of the AKP's Istanbul branch, relayed to AFP that Istanbul's significance lies in it being "our gateway to the world" as he compared it to New York and Berlin.

Political communications expert Eren Aksoyoglu stated that in Ankara, CHP mayor Mansur Yavas seems to be in the lead, but "a very tight race" could play out, adding that AKP's nationalist allies are "putting all their weight into the battle."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... stanbul-co

[Anthea]

DEM calls for continued suppression

NOT FREEDOM

Hundreds of thousands of people on Thursday gathered in Newroz Square at the center of Turkey’s Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed) to celebrate Newroz, and the Kurdish New Year, as key political figures called for a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey

The public celebration was attended by key political leaders and famous musicians, in addition to many members of the public wearing traditional Kurdish clothes, with Kurdish songs and dances featuring prominently.

Veteran Kurdish politician Leyla Zana, participated in the festival for the first time in eight years, giving a speech to the public in attendance.

“We learned our culture from Mala Mustafa Barzani,” Zana said, paying tribute to the legendary Kurdish leader.

The celebration also featured musical performances from Kurdish and international singers, including internationally acclaimed Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi who sang in Kurdish.

Political leaders attending the festival renewed their calls for the resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey as the crowd cheered in support, a goal that currently appears far-fetched according to Aysegul Dogan, the spokesperson for the anti-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).

“I, as the spokesperson for the DEM Party, announce that there are no talks to resolve the Kurdish question,” told Rudaw’s Hevidar Zana on the sidelines of the Newroz celebrations, saying that there are no ongoing talks between Ankara and the PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan regarding the resolution of Kurdish issue either.

In an unprecedented and historic move, the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced a peace process in 2013, paving the way for a new era in Turkey. This granted Kurds certain rights that were previously seen as taboo by many Turkish politicians, including elective Kurdish classes in schools and press conferences during which PKK commanders briefed Turkish and international media about the latest developments. However, the peace ended in 2015 due to renewed tensions between both sides.

Ocalan has been jailed on Imrali Island in the Sea of Marmara since 1999. His family and lawyers have not been able to communicate with him for years due to what they describe as an “isolation” policy by Ankara.

Dogan stressed that as long as Ocalan remains isolated, no peace process is possible.

Selahattin Demirtas, a jailed Kurdish politician, said earlier this month that the only interlocutors of a potential long-lasting peace process between the PKK and Ankara are Ocalan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who spearheaded the 2013 ceasefire.

DEM Party co-Chair Tuncer Bakirhan delivered a speech at the Newroz festival, in which called on the country’s ruling parties to take steps towards a democratic understanding between the different components of the country to spread peace.

“We invite you to promptly update the Turkish-Kurdish alliance in a democratic manner instead of opting for war,” Bakirhan said.

Bakirhan’s comments come in light of Turkey’s intensification of its cross-border operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region and Ankara’s recent threat of a fresh offensive against its fighters in the Region in summer.

The Turkish defense ministry said on Thursday that Iraq is open to establishing a joint operations center with Ankara to fight the PKK, a week after a high-level security meeting with Iraqi officials. Baghdad officially banned the Kurdish group following the meeting.

Bakirhan also called on the Turkish parliament to stop using the phrase “unknown language” in the legislature’s transcripts when denoting speeches done in Kurdish, and the phrase “terroristan” used to talk about areas under the rule of Kurdish forces in Syria.

“Abandon the concepts of ‘unknown language’ and ‘terroristan’ that you mentioned in the parliament. What they call the ‘unknown language’ is Kurdish, which we have been speaking on these lands for 13,000 years. What they call ‘terroristan’ is the land divided into four parts, Kurdistan,” he said, addressing the people.

Newroz celebrations hold particular importance for Kurds in Turkey, who were not allowed to celebrate the occasion that signals the beginning of spring for decade.

There is a long history of animosity and conflict over Kurdish issues and rights in Turkey. The state has at times gone as far as denying the very existence of Kurds. Turkey's Kurds were provided limited cultural rights when Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) came two power three decades ago.

Hundreds of thousands of people from the Kurdistan Region, as well as Kurdish regions in Turkey, Iran, and Syria, celebrated the eve of Newroz on Wednesday, also symbolizing a day of freedom from tyranny and resistance and the start of the Kurdish New Year on Thursday.

Every year, Kurds celebrate Newroz on March 21-23 by picnicking in the countryside and lighting bonfires with their families and loved ones.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/22032024

[Anthea]

Mardin: Future Party candidates withdraw

Following inner-party discussions, multiple candidates from Turkey's Future Party withdrew from the upcoming municipal elections

Turkey's Future Party has decided to withdraw from the upcoming Turkish municipal elections in Sanliurfa and Mardin provinces, endorsing the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) candidates in the respective cities.

The President of the Future Party's branch in Urfa, Hidayet Baysal, announced his party's endorsement of the AKP candidate and current Mayor of Urfa, Zeynel Abidin Beyazgul, in the local elections that are set to take place on March 31.

Baysal posted the decision on X, saying that they decided to withdraw following inner-party discussions.

On his part, the Future Party candidate for Greater Urfa, Ferit Cevik, also announced his withdrawal from the electoral race and endorsed the corresponding AKP candidate.

Baysal also said that the party will endorse AKP's Abdullah Erin in Mardin, adding that if Erin did not provide the promised services to citizens, then the Future Party would hold him accountable.

It is worth noting that the Future Party is led by the former Prime Minister and a former leader of the AKP party, Ahmet Davutoglu.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Turkey said that the municipal elections are witnessing fierce competition between Turkish parties, underlining the importance of elections in Ankara and Istanbul cities, as the result determines future presidential candidates as per the norm.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ithdraw--e

[Anthea]

Turkey's low unemployment rate

The employment rate shows a positive trajectory, rising to 48.3%, indicating a 0.8 percentage point increase from 2022

Turkey experienced its lowest unemployment rate in a decade in 2023, with figures dropping to 9.4% from 10.4% in 2022, as per official data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

According to TurkStat, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 318,000 to 3.26 million compared to the previous year.

Employment numbers saw a rise, with 31.6 million individuals employed, marking an increase of 880,000 compared to 2022.

The employment rate also saw a positive trend, reaching 48.3%, reflecting a 0.8 percentage point increase from the previous year.

The labor force in 2023 amounted to 34.9 million, resulting in a labor force participation rate of 53.3%.

For the youth population aged 15-24, the unemployment rate was 17.4%, indicating a decrease of 2 percentage points compared to the previous year. This comes shortly after Turkey's central bank increased its key interest rate to control surging inflation.

Last Thursday, the Central Bank of Turkey announced a hike in the policy rate, also known as the one-week repo auction rate, from 45% to 50%. This decision was prompted by February's inflation figures, which exceeded expectations.

The bank stated in a press release that while imports of consumption goods and gold had slowed down, leading to a slight improvement in the current account balance, recent indicators suggest that domestic demand remains robust.

It is worth noting that S&P Global Ratings upgraded Turkey's credit rating outlook last September, citing the effectiveness of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's new economic team and their adoption of more conventional policies.

The outlook on the nation's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating has been changed from negative to stable, with the credit rating affirmed at B, which remains five notches below investment grade.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/Eco ... te-in-2023

[Anthea]

Do rival parties have PKK ties

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Less than a week ahead of the country’s local elections, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused a pro-Kurdish party of being a tool of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and slammed the main opposition party for cooperating with them

Speaking at an election rally in the country’s northern Tokat province, Erdogan accused the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) of being the “tool” through which the PKK operates inside Turkey.

“The structure called DEM [Party] is a tool of a terrorist] group that acts like a party. The ones on the stage do not hold authority or weight in this party,” Erdogan said.

“This party is not governed from its headquarters in Ankara, but by perverted ideological institutions in Istanbul and the terrorist barons in Qandil,” referring to the PKK’s headquarters in Mount Qandil, as well as the party’s pro-LGBTQ stance within Turkey.

Erdogan’s comments come at a time when there are speculations about the possibility of the restart of a new peace process within the country.

In an unprecedented and historic move, the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced a peace process in 2013, paving the way for a new era in Turkey. However, the peace ended in 2015 due to renewed tensions between both sides.

While Erdogan is strongly opposed to a new peace with the PKK his party has expressed an openness to reviving the process, albeit being harshly criticized for simply instrumentalizing the Kurdish issue to garner more votes in the upcoming elections.

On Sunday, DEM Party Tulay Hatimogullari accused AKP of only remembering the Kurdish issue during the election cycle, “AKP also only remembers the Kurdish problem from election to election,” she said.

In a letter to the public recently shared on X Jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas encouraged the DEM party to hold talks with Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Veteran Kurdish politician and DEM Party MP Ahmet Turk, who is also running for the mayoralty of the city of Mardin, told Rudaw during an interview earlier this month that they have talked peace process “with some personalities” inside the Turkish parliament, without disclosing their names or the positions they hold.

Turk noted that the decision for a peace process ultimately lies in the hands of Erdogan.

“Our demand is peace. Our desire is the brotherhood of peoples…Someone like Erdogan, who today controls all the institutions, can do that, and solve the problem if he wants to,” Turk said.

During the Monday rally, Erdogan also slammed the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) for “cooperating” with the DEM party.

“You see who is leading the alliance with the DEM [Party] just to gain a few more municipalities, don't you? Where do the instructions come from? From Qandil, and they are implemented in Ankara,” Erdogan said, referring to agreements between the CHP and the DEM Party in a few municipalities of Istanbul to field strong candidates both parties approve of.

DEM Party candidates Murat Cepni and Meral Danis Bestas are running in Istanbul, but the party refrained from fielding candidates in 39 districts, including in Esenyurt, where DEM has a strong base following talks with CHP, which agreed to nominate a candidate that the DEM Party approves of in return for its withdrawal from Esenyurt.

On Sunday, Erdogan and the AKP hope to reclaim the municipalities of Ankara and Istanbul, which they lost to CHP in 2019 after nearly two decades of dominance.

According to the Turkish electoral commission, 52 candidates will vie for the Istanbul mayoralty in March, as 22 parties fielded candidates and 30 others will compete independently. AKP fielded Murat Kurum, Turkey’s former environment minister, as Istanbul candidate mayor, to compete against the incumbent mayor CHP’s Ekrem Imamoglu, and DEM Party’s Cepni and Bestas.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /250320242

[Anthea]

Allegiance or CHP:

Or a party that offers Kurds independence

How will Turkey's Kurds vote in local elections?

Turkey's Kurds are evenly split between showing their community's strength in local elections or defeating the ruling AKP in Istanbul, polls reveal.

Turkey's Kurds will put aside party loyalty to back the leading opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate in Greater Istanbul, a major rival of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), Reuters reported, citing pollsters.

The Kurdish minority in Turkey played a crucial role in securing CHP's victory in the last municipal elections in 2019, ending AKP's leadership in the major Turkish city.

Turkey's Kurds are majorly aligned with the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), which has formed a strategic alliance with CHP over the past years. The victory of the current Mayor and CHP candidate for the mayoral election in Greater Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu in 2019 is one pivotal example of how the alliance worked to weaken AKP in Turkish local elections

However, the most recent presidential and legislative elections in Turkey dealt a mighty blow to the hopes of the opposition, after Erdogan secured both the presidency and the majority in parliament. Polls show that Imamoglu and his AKP rival, Murat Kurum, are closely contesting the mayoral seat this time around, while DEM candidate Meral Danis Bestas trails behind both.

Bestas has rejected claims that party members will engage in "tactical voting" to secure Kurum's seat, saying that DEM's strategy focuses on garnering voter support for her candidacy.

On the other hand, polls tell a completely different story. According to Yuksel Genc, a pollster at SAMER, 40% of DEM supporters had indicated that they would vote for CHP candidate and current Mayor of Istanbul, Imamoglu

"They (Turkey's Kurds) are confused and undecided. They are considering voting for their party candidate but don't want the AK Party to win," Reuters said, quoting Genc.

The Turkish government has had a major rivalry with Kurdish parties, specifically the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK). Another major Kurdish majority movement, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has also faced troubles with Turkish authorities over alleged ties to militants, facing closure.

DEM has succeeded HDP as Turkey's leading pro-Kurdish movement, securing around 10% of the seats in Turkey's latest parliamentary election.

Kurds undecided about a show of strength or tactical victory

Following failed negotiations between Erdogan's government and the PKK in 2015 to end the party's insurgency, Turkish authorities launched a campaign against pro-Kurdish parties, including the HDP, whose leaders and members were ravaged by arrests and mayors were ousted.
Diyarbakir, the southeast, and state-appointed trustees

DEM remains dominant in the southeast's largest city Diyarbakir. Voters there believe that it is necessary to vote for DEM.

DEM and Bestas in Istanbul also insist on the necessity of retaining their party members' votes in the upcoming elections on March 31.

"Our call is for people to vote for us. I believe every party has a fundamental duty to conduct its own politics," Bestas said in an interview.

The majority of DEM's voters have echoed Bestas' calls according to polls, seeking a show of strength against the most recent crackdown, which saw state-appointed trustees replace Kurdish mayors in the southeast.

"A Turkey where a quarter of the population is marginalized and discriminated against, and whose demands are not met cannot be democratic," Bestast said in relation to the current status quo in Turkish politics.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -local-ele

Supporting CHP candidate is supporting Atatürkism

Ataturk the killer of Kurds

WHERE IS KURDISH PRIDE !?!

[Anthea]

Elections turning point for Kurds

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday told supporters in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed) that the upcoming local elections will be a “turning point” for Turkey’s Kurds as they will determine their future

Turkey is holding provincial elections on Sunday. There will be a tight race between Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in Kurdish areas in the southeast of the country.

"Hopefully, March 31 will be a turning point where our Kurdish brothers will be free from all oppression and decide the future of themselves and their city with their free will," Erdogan told supporters during an election campaign in Diyarbakir on Wednesday.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), now DEM Party, won Diyarbakir in the 2019 local poll but months later the state removed the elected co-mayors of the party and replaced them with pro-government administrators, in most cases governors. This was the fate of most other municipalities the pro-Kurdish party won in the election. A large number of the elected officials were arrested and many of them remain in jail for alleged links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The AKP performed poorly again in the general elections last May.

“In the elections held last May, we could not reach the number of votes we desired in both the parliamentary and presidential elections in Diyarbakir. However, I believe that the election result did not please you,” he acknowledged, claiming that the alleged presence of 70,000 people in his rally proves his point that people are not satisfied with the 2019 election results and are seeking change.

He claimed that his rival, DEM Party, has bargained with the votes of Kurds.

"There are dirty deals made for the sake of their ambitions," he added.

A Kurdish peace process to end decades of bloody conflict started in 2013 between the Turkish government under then-prime minister Erdogan and the PKK. The talks were mediated by the HDP. The talks collapsed in 2015, followed by intense urban fighting in the country’s Kurdish areas.

No peace process

Azmi Ekinci, AKP lawmaker in Istanbul, told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Wednesday that Erdogan often visits Diyarbakir, not just during election campaigns.

“He has said that he would now say the same thing in Amed that he said in 2005. He has not changed his position,” the lawmaker said, referring to the initial years of Erdogan’s reign.

He blamed the PKK for ending the peace process in 2015.

“It was Qandil that caused chaos,” he said, referring to the PKK headquarters in the Kurdistan Region.

Ekinci said the PKK did not listen to the instructions of their jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan.

“Qandil’s objective is not the resolution of the Kurdish issue but the implementation of the plans of several world superpowers in the Middle East,” the Kurdish parliamentarian claimed.

Tulay Hatimogullari, DEM Party co-chair, said during Kurdish New Year celebration (Newroz) in Diyarbakir on Saturday that the AKP remembers the Kurdish issue only during the election cycle.

“The Kurdish people have suffered a lot, the people of Turkey have paid a high price. AKP also only remembers the Kurdish problem from election to election,” she told hundreds of thousands of supporters.

Thousands of Kurdish lawmakers, politicians, journalists, and civilians have been jailed in Turkey in the last decade for alleged links with the PKK.

There is a long history of animosity and conflict over Kurdish issues and rights in Turkey. The state has at times gone as far as denying the very existence of Kurds. Turkey's Kurds were provided limited cultural rights when Erdogan's AKP came to power three decades ago. The party has also appointed Kurdish ministers to its cabinets. The incumbent finance and foreign ministers are among them.

Ekinci also told Rudaw that issues like the peace process do not often get discussed in local elections, but noted that his party will not enter another peace process with the PKK again.

“The AKP will not put its finger in a hole where a snake bit it before. It is not the right thing to repeat it, but regarding the Kurdish issue a number of projects have been suggested,” he said without mentioning them. “Only the AKP will resolve this issue.”

He said there are people within the DEM Party who have faith in Erdogan to resolve the Kurdish issue while some others within the same party think otherwise, linking it to the party’s alleged internal tensions.

The HDP’s jailed former co-president Selahattin Demirtas, who was the main face of the now-collapsed peace process, recently called on the DEM party and the AKP to meet and enter negotiations. He said the interlocutors of such a process are Erdogan and Oclalan.

Ahmet Turk, a veteran Kurdish politician and DEM Party candidate for Mardin, told Rudaw earlier this month that there are unofficial talks with the Turkish officials to resume the peace process but days later DEM Party spokesperson said there are no ongoing efforts to restart the process.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /270320241

Ahmet Turk would NOT lie, I would trust him more than DEM

Sadly Kurds do not have a FREEDOM party to vote for

[Anthea]

AKP largest Kurdish party

A senior official from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Thursday claimed that his party is the largest Kurdish party, adding that he believes that Istanbul’s Kurds will vote for AKP’s candidate for the metropolis’ mayor during Sunday’s local elections

“AKP is the largest Kurdish party. AKP is the largest party of the Kurds. Therefore, the AKP will continue to do what it has been doing for 22 years in terms of opening up every field from freedom to economy, from health to culture, for both Kurds, Turks and other citizens,” Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, head of AKP office in Istanbul, told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Thursday.

The AKP is a self-described conservative democratic party which has the support of Islamist and nationalist Turks. It has also garnered great support from conservative Kurds.

Turkey will hold provincial elections on Sunday. The AKP seeks Kurdish votes in Istanbul to regain the city which it lost to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) five years ago. The loss was partly attributed to the support Kurds gave the opposition candidate. The ruling party also wants to boost its performance in Kurdish areas in the southeast of the country.

AKP’s cabinet in 2013 entered a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) armed group, paving the way for an unprecedented opening towards Kurdish culture. The development also allowed Kurdish politicians to speak freely about their rights which were previously seen as taboos. The talks, which were mediated by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), collapsed in 2015, followed by intense urban fighting in the country’s Kurdish areas.

The pro-Kurdish HDP, which has rebranded itself as the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) due to legal issues, won dozens of municipalities in the 2019 polls but months later the state removed the elected co-mayors of the party and replaced them with pro-government administrators, in most cases governors. This was the fate of most other municipalities the pro-Kurdish party won in the election. A large number of the elected officials were arrested and many of them remain in jail for alleged links with the PKK.

“In Turkey, as you know, we have removed all the obstacles such as speaking Kurdish, making Kurdish music, providing Kurdish education, choosing it as an elective course in schools, and providing Kurdish education in private schools,” the head of AKP in Istanbul said.

The DEM Party is the AKP's main rival in the Kurdish provinces.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is also the leader of the AKP, held a massive election rally in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed) on Wednesday. He said that the Sunday elections are a “turning point” for Turkey’s Kurds.

"Hopefully, March 31 will be a turning point where our Kurdish brothers will be free from all oppression and decide the future of themselves and their city with their free will," he told his supporters.

The AKP performed poorly again in the general elections last May.

“In the elections held last May, we could not reach the number of votes we desired in both the parliamentary and presidential elections in Diyarbakir. However, I believe that the election result did not please you,” he acknowledged, claiming that the alleged presence of 70,000 people in his rally proves his point that people are not satisfied with the 2019 election results and are seeking change.

Kabaktepe told Rudaw on Thursday that he believes Kurds, including supporters of the DEM Party, will vote for their mayoral candidate in Istanbul, Murat Kurum, who is in a neck-to-neck race with CHP’s Ekrem Imamoglu.

“We see our Kurdish brothers as the essential element of the AKP, Turkey and Istanbul. Everything we do, we will do together. We will make our decisions together. Today, we have Kurdish brothers in the AKP provincial administration and municipal administrations,” the senior AKP official said.

There is a long history of animosity and conflict over Kurdish issues and rights in Turkey. The state has at times gone as far as denying the very existence of Kurds. Turkey's Kurds were provided limited cultural rights when Erdogan's AKP came to power two decades ago. The party has also appointed Kurdish ministers to its cabinets. The incumbent finance and foreign ministers are among them.

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[Anthea]

DEM not in secret negotiations

Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party is not in secret negotiations with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) or the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) ahead of the March 31 local elections, its spokesperson told Rudaw on Tuesday

“There are no secret negotiations behind closed doors. We have not held any meetings behind closed doors, not only with the AKP, but also with other parties,” Aysegul Dogan, spokesperson of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih in an interview.

“We are a party that fights for the rights of the Kurdish people and the rights of other peoples living in Turkey whose rights are being violated. We also fight for the rights of oppressed peoples, equality, freedom, peace and democracy,” she stressed.

Turkey will hold provincial elections on Sunday. There will be a tight race between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP and DEM Party in the Kurdish areas in the southeast of the country.

“We are in favor of negotiations and the AKP and CHP are united against the Kurds,” she affirmed.

Dogan expressed optimism about the Kurdish party’s chances in the elections, stressing they will achieve a “big victory” and win back municipalities forcibly taken away by the government following the 2019 local elections.

“We will take back our municipalities, the municipalities that were forcibly taken away from us. We will hand over the will of the people to the people,” she emphasized.

“What we want is not just to win the March 31 elections, we want a big victory.”

FREEDOM FOR KURDISTAN just thought I would remind people of what most Kurds really want, everyone knows someone who died for FREEDOM, the DEM want power for themselves NOT for KURDS

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the predecessor of DEM Party, had its winning candidates in the 2019 local polls replaced with pro-government administrators, in most cases governors. A large number of the elected pro-Kurdish officials were arrested and many of them remain in jail for alleged links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The spokesperson said that the party has paid a “great price” for injustices and is open for dialogue and negotiations with the Turkish government to find a lasting solution for the Kurdish issue in the country.

“Many of our parties were closed down, a large number of our officials were killed, not only arrested and expelled, but killed,” she lamented.

A Kurdish peace process to end decades of bloody conflict started in 2013 between the Turkish government under then-prime minister Erdogan and the PKK. The talks were mediated by the HDP. The talks collapsed in 2015, followed by intense urban fighting in the country’s Kurdish areas.

Some Turkish officials claim that the HDP is the political wing of the PKK. This is the reason for an ongoing legal case against the party. These accusations forced the HDP to rebrand itself as the DEM Party to avoid potential obstacles in 2023 general elections and the March 31 local vote.

Kurds have been oppressed in Turkey for decades, with their mother tongue banned in official settings. The resolution of the Kurdish issue seems distant despite several attempts by a number of Turkish cabinets and Kurdish officials.

“Every way of negotiating and resolving the Kurdish issue through dialogue is because of us. This is the foundation of our party. All roads have been closed to the Kurdish people who have been trying for decades to preserve their identity, culture, art, and language,” she said.

Dogan further criticized the AKP and CHP, saying their media unite and take a stance against Kurdish rights when the topic becomes a Kurdish one.

Tulay Hatimogullari, DEM Party co-chair, said during Kurdish New Year celebration (Newroz) in Diyarbakir on Saturday that the AKP remembers the Kurdish issue only during the election cycle.

“The Kurdish people have suffered a lot, the people of Turkey have paid a high price. AKP also only remembers the Kurdish problem from election to election,” she told hundreds of thousands of supporters.

However, she did not call the HDP’s support for CHP candidate Ekrem Imamoglu for the Istanbul mayorality in the 2019 elections wrong.

“There was criticism about these points, but especially for 2019 we cannot say that a mistake was made [in supporting the CHP candidate in Istanbul]. On the contrary, a great victory was recorded. For 25 years, one party ruled Istanbul, but with the strength of our party, that changed in favor of another party. What does that indicate? That shows the strength of our party.”

In response to accusations of nominating an Istanbul candidate to serve AKP’s interests, Dogan denied the accusations, saying all DEM Party candidates are nominated “for our own interests, the interests of our people, and the interests of our party.”

There is a long history of animosity and conflict over Kurdish issues and rights in Turkey. The state has at times gone as far as denying the very existence of Kurds. Turkey's Kurds were provided limited cultural rights when Erdogan's AKP came to power three decades ago. The party has also appointed Kurdish ministers to its cabinets. The incumbent finance and foreign ministers are among them.

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REMEMBER:

Ahmet Turk, a veteran Kurdish politician and DEM Party candidate for Mardin, told Rudaw earlier this month that there are unofficial talks with the Turkish officials to resume the peace process

Days later DEM Party spokesperson said there are no ongoing efforts to restart the process.

Ahmet Turk does NOT lie and is the MOST HIGHLY RESPECTED Kurdish spokesperson, may well have been taking part in peace talks

Ask yourselves who do you believe in, trust, admire and respect the most?

Ahmet Turk
or
DEM

Ahmet Turk

[Anthea]

What you need to know

Turkey will hold local elections on Sunday, a crucial vote that will lay the foundations of the country’s political scene for the next few years. The opposition is aiming to tighten its grip on the key cities it won in 2019 and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) wants to win back the economic powerhouse of Istanbul and the capital Ankara

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP, strengthened by his reelection to the presidency last year, also wants to take down the opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) in its stronghold of Izmir.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), meanwhile, aims to reclaim the Kurdish municipalities in the southeast of the country that its predecessor party won in 2019, but was stripped of when its mayors were removed and replaced by government-appointed trustees.

The results of the elections will not only dictate the country’s political power trajectory but also hold the key to potential constitutional reforms and peace negotiations over the Kurdish issue. Reclaiming Istanbul and Ankara would consolidate Erdogan’s grip on power, against the backdrop of his recent statements regarding these elections being his last.

Berk Esen, associate professor at Sabanci University in Istanbul, claims that the elections will be “consequential” in Istanbul and Ankara, noting that if the main opposition CHP’s popular mayors were to lose, the defeat could prove to be a debilitating blow for the already weak and fragmented opposition.

“If they were to lose their reelection bid, then not only that the opposition camp is going to lose two of its strongest possible presidential contenders in the next presidential elections whenever it will be held, but also the main opposition party will be deprived of its access to Turkey's two largest cities,” said Esen.

On Sunday, about 22 million registered voters, roughly one-third of total registered voters across Turkey, will head to the polling stations in Ankara and Istanbul. The potential loss of the two cities would strip the opposition of its primary platform to communicate with the Turkish people and mount a challenge against the government.

“Whoever controls these large municipal governments can provide services to millions of voters and gain a chance to reach out to them directly,” Esen said.

In recent years, Turkey has witnessed a political shift towards authoritarianism, as Erdogan effectively established control over the government, parliament, and judiciary, following amendments made to the country’s constitution in a 2017 referendum.

A win is crucial for the opposition to stand its ground in challenging the ruling party in the future. A loss would bludgeon the opposition parties into inter-party disarray, in a scenario similar to last year when the opposition’s loss in both the presidential and parliamentary elections instigated inner turmoil within the CHP, ultimately resulting in a change of party leadership in November.

Moreover, a win for the AKP would further empower Erdogan to push for the writing of a new constitution that could bestow upon him additional powers.

“If Erdogan's party were to gain control of some of these major metropolitan areas, then the ruling party will be further emboldened and will probably push for amending the constitution to give even more powers to President Erdogan and give him the chance to run for office a third time,” said Esen.

The Turkish constitution allows a president to stay in office for a maximum of two terms. Another Erdogan run would mark his third term as the president since the 2017 referendum. Before that, he was elected as president through a direct public vote in the country’s first-ever presidential elections in 2014.

The Istanbul showdown

In the 2019 local elections, AKP allied with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), while the CHP was directly supported by the ultranationalist IYI party and indirectly by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), DEM Party’s sister party, who refrained from fielding candidates in the province. This resulted in a historic win for CHP’s Ekrem Imamoglu who handed Erdogan his first defeat in over 15 years. Imamoglu secured the win in a rerun months later.

In the 2023 elections, the IYI Party and CHP joined forces to form the Nation Alliance in the hope of defeating Erdogan and the AKP. While the AKP kept the most seats in parliament, the presidential vote entered a second round, ultimately won by Erdogan, despite economic problems and a deadly earthquake.

Today the situation is different. The once united opposition is fractured as the IYI party decided to run independently, while the DEM Party decided to field candidates in every province, including Istanbul and Ankara.

Erdogan pinned his hopes of avenging his worst political defeat in over 21 years in power on former environment minister Murat Kurum, choosing him as mayoral candidate for Istanbul.

The DEM Party fielded MPs Meral Danis Bestas and Murat Cepni as co-candidates, in the attempt to pave a third way in the mayoral race in Istanbul.

Analysts believe that the results of the local elections will determine the long-term political future of Imamoglu and the opposition’s overall standing in the country.

“Looking at the last two elections, despite numerous economic crises and earthquakes, the ruling party winning indicates that Turkey has an opposition problem. If the opposition loses, there will be significant turbulence within their ranks,” Dr Ufuk Uras, former member of the Turkish parliament and assistant professor at the department of political science and international relations at Istanbul University, told Rudaw English.

Uras noted that, unlike previous elections, predicting the turn this vote will take proves a harder feat because there is no way for voters to use their vote strategically, in pursuit of a calculated outcome.

Opinion polls indicate that the elections will be a closely contested event. Results vary depending on the affiliation of the pollster to the different sides of Turkey’s political spectrum.

Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, head of AKP’s Istanbul branch, told Rudaw English that Istanbul “serves as Turkey's gateway to the world and the world's gateway to Turkey, making it crucial for all parties” to win.

AKP’s election campaign hinges on pointing out public service issues in the city that they claim Imamoglu has failed to address. Imamoglu’s campaign rests on the promise to build upon the work he started five years ago, including creating more facilities in the city and offering more stipends to students.

Imamoglu however has been criticized for making the same promises he did in the previous election, promises he later claimed he did not recall later in an effort to protect himself from the backlash resulting from not having delivered.

Ankara, Izmir, persistence and change

Similarly to the situation in Istanbul, the 2019 local elections also saw AKP’s loss to CHP in Ankara, following the opposition’s decision to field ultranationalist fan-favorite Mansur Yavas, who ended a nearly two-decade dominance of the ruling party in the city.

During a party event held in Ankara in January, Turgut Altinok, a prominent ultranationalist figure and incumbent mayor of Ankara’s Kecioren district, was handpicked by Erdogan to take on Yavas. This marked a shift in AKP’s policy from 2019 when they fielded the more ideologically lenient Mehmet Ozhaseki. This shift highlights Erdogan’s relentless pursuit of dominance in the political heartland of Turkey.

The Turkish president In January announced that Hamza Dag, his deputy in AKP, would be vying for the “republican fortress” of Izmir, where CHP has been in power for over two decades. According to Uras, a victory for the AKP would create significant turbulence within the ranks of the opposition. In Izmir, the CHP has been consistently triumphant over the ruling party and its candidates in every parliamentary or local election for the past 22 years.

CHP in Izmir chose Karsiyaka district mayor Cemil Tugay over the incumbent Tunc Soyer for the upcoming election. Pollsters indicate that Tugay is the favorite to lead the city until 2029.

The Kurdish question and the prospect of peace talks

In Kurdish cities of the southeast, Sunday’s vote is poised to be closely contested between AKP and the DEM Party. Erdogan said recently during an election rally that the vote will be pivotal and will constitute a “turning point” for Turkey’s Kurds who will determine their future in the country.

During an election rally in Diyarbakir on Wednesday, Erdogan acknowledged that his party did not get the number of votes it desired in the national election last year. Erdogan claimed that the alleged presence of 70,000 people at his rally reflected popular dissatisfaction with the 2019 election results and a desire for change.

In the parliamentary and presidential elections, the DEM Party garnered the majority of votes in Diyarbakir, with the opposition’s presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu defeating Erdogan in the Kurdish-majority province.

HDP won Diyarbakir in the 2019 local poll, but months later the state removed the party's elected co-mayors and replaced them with pro-government trustees, in most cases governors. This was the outcome for the majority of the municipalities where the pro-Kurdish party had won. A large number of the elected officials were arrested and many of them remain in jail for alleged links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

On Sunday, the DEM Party hopes to reclaim the municipalities usurped by AKP-appointed trustees, while the ruling party tries to appeal to the electorate by putting forward candidates who are native to the cities.

In Diyarbakir, Erdogan chose a Kurdish candidate, Mehmet Halis Bilden, to run against DEM Party’s co-candidates Serra Bucak and Dogan Hatun, the expected winners according to opinion polls. DEM Party and HDP operate on a co-chairing basis that formalises gender balance in their party and positions they hold.

Similar to Diyarbakir, the DEM Party’s candidates are also expected to win the mayoralty of the Kurdish-majority cities of Van and Mardin according to polls by MAK, a pollster close to the opposition.

Erdogan’s potential attempt to push for a new constitution following the polls would require support from the pro-Kurdish party to succeed. According to Article 175 of the current Turkish constitution, making amendments requires the agreement of at least three-fifths of the legislature, 360 members out of 600. AKP and its allies roughly have a combined 323 seats in the parliament, and the DEM Party’s 57 seats could be the last puzzle piece in Erdogan’s long-term plan.

During an interview with Rudaw earlier this month, veteran Turkish journalist and DEM Party MP Cengiz Candar stressed that Erdogan will need Kurdish support for any changes he wants to make and this may open the door to a resumption of peace talks with the Kurds to end decades of conflict in the country, adding that Kurdish rights and mother tongue rights must have a place in any new constitution

Following his win in last year’s presidential election, Erdogan has been openly critical of the constitution and said it is time for a new one. The current Turkish constitution was created in 1982 following a military coup. Despite amendments made in 2017 that swapped the country’s parliamentary system for a presidential one, Erdogan remains unhappy with what he has labelled the “1982 coup constitution.”

But for Erdogan to proceed toward his goal, he must stop the trustee policies according to Uras.

“Everyone knows that the trustee regime is illegal. If they are going to take steps towards a new constitution, they should refrain from appointing trustees,” he said, noting that the trustee system also hampers any progress toward solving the Kurdish issue in Turkey.

“By continuing the trustee policy, it's not possible to reach reforms regarding the Kurdish issue. That's very clear, so we hope they won't appoint trustees. It's rational not to do so,” he added.

There is a long history of animosity and conflict over Kurdish issues and rights in Turkey. The state has at times gone as far as denying the very existence of Kurds. Turkey's Kurds were provided limited cultural rights when Erdogan's AKP came to power three decades ago. The party has also appointed Kurdish ministers to its cabinets. The incumbent finance and foreign ministers are among them.

In a historic move, the Turkish government and the PKK announced a peace process in 2013, paving the way for a new era in Turkey. This granted Kurds certain rights that were previously seen as taboo by many Turkish politicians, including elective Kurdish classes in schools and press conferences during which PKK commanders briefed Turkish and international media about the latest developments. However, the peace ended in 2015 due to renewed tensions between both sides.

The HDP’s jailed former co-president Selahattin Demirtas, who was the main face of the now-collapsed peace process, recently called on the DEM party and the AKP to meet and enter negotiations. He said the interlocutors of such a process are Erdogan and jailed PKK leader Abdullah Oclalan.

Ahmet Turk, a veteran Kurdish politician and DEM Party candidate for Mardin, told Rudaw earlier this month that there are unofficial talks with Turkish officials to resume the peace process. He noted that the decision for peace ultimately lies in the hands of Erdogan.

Days later, however, the DEM Party spokesperson said there are no ongoing efforts to restart the process.

“There is no such process, meeting, or path [that DEM Party is taking] at the moment. But our demand for peace is always valid. Our demand for a solution is always valid,” DEM Party Istanbul co-candidate Bestas told Rudaw English on Tuesday.

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