Metin Kılıç, the Circassian candidate of the Green Left Party in Ankara for Turkey’s 14 May elections, started his campaign with traditional Circassian dances, dancing alongside Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, the Kurdish co-spokeswoman of the Green Left, as they sought to highlight the diversity of their party and the inclusive nature of their campaign.
The Circassians are a North Caucasian ethnic group that was forced to migrate to Anatolia due to the Russian Empire’s aggression in the 1860s. The various Circassian groups in Turkey, such as Kabardians, Adyghe, Ossetians, and Abkhazians, have their unique languages but share a certain degree of mutual intelligibility, enriching their culture and identity.
One thing they all have in common is their highly aesthetic dances, which have made them recognised all over the world. The Green Left Party shared the video of Metin Kılıç’s campaign launch on their Twitter account with the message “Our party, the common home of identities, languages and cultures, aspires to govern the country with all colours of Turkey. Monism or multiculturalism? Our people decide,” emphasising their commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
Kılıç is seeking to represent the Circassians and their unique identity in Parliament. He promised to work towards making the Circassian language an option for education and to establish a Circassian television channel.
“Despite there being 5-6 million Circassians in Turkey, the number of those who claim Circassian identity is small,” said Kılıç. “We have not been able to express ourselves in other parties with our Circassian identity until today. We will not refrain from expressing the problems of our identity both during our candidacy and in the following process.”
The Circassians have faced discriminatory treatment in public life and a lack of representation in mainstream politics. Kılıç hopes to change that by giving voice to the Circassian people and their unique culture.
Kılıç’s decision to run for office came after a suicide bomb attack by the Islamic State in Suruç district of Turkey’s Kurdish-majority Şanlıurfa (Riha) province in 2015. His wife, Ferdane Kılıç, and his son, Nartan Kılıç, were killed in the attack, while his daughter, Sinem Kılıç, who was a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Pary (HDP) Assembly, was wounded.
Despite the tragedy, Kılıç remained committed to the causes he cares about. He resigned as the Vice President of the Federation of Caucasian Associations, the umbrella organisation for Circassians in Turkey, to run as a candidate for the HDP in the 2015 and 2018 elections.
The HDP has made a strategic decision to participate in the upcoming elections as part of the Green Left Party to avoid any potential risks of closure.
