Turkey has voted against AKP & Erdoğan
Turkey has voted. The people have decided against the AKP and its nationalist-Islamist allies. The CHP was able to extend its lead in numerous metropolises and claim new metropolitan areas for itself. In the Kurdish regions, the DEM party has reclaimed the trustees-lead municipalities and won new ones. Against the backdrop of 46,000 imported voters and massive repression, this is a remarkable success that clearly demonstrates the role the region plays in the country’s democratic transformation.
The role of the DEM Party with regard to gender equality must also be emphasised in this context. The party ran nationwide with co-candidates. In Batman – the city was considered a stronghold of the Islamist Hüda-Par – candidate Gülistan Sönük achieved a nationwide metropolitan record with 64.48%.
A democratic transformation process can be initiated only if the causality between the democratisation of the country / region and a political solution to the Kurdish question is seen. The CHP should seize this opportunity.
But Europe also has a role to play. The Council of Europe must draw conclusions from the irregularities in the elections. It is also important that the success of the CHP and DEM party is recognised equally. If the focus is increasingly placed on the CHP and the Kurdish cause is ignored, democracy will remain wishful thinking.
The European Union must increase the pressure on Erdoğan. The only way out is to return to the negotiating table with the Kurds. This also requires an immediate end to the incommunicado detention of Abdullah Öcalan. The European institutions also have a responsibility here.
EU Turkey Civic Commission
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