In the run up to Turkey’s 31 March local elections, the pro-Kurdish opposition People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), has stepped up campaign efforts, engaging with the public across the country.
From the Kurdish-majority regions of south-east Turkey to the capital Ankara and western cities, DEM representatives have been enthusiastically welcomed by the people. Opening events for party election offices are being turned into massive rallies, demonstrating widespread support from the region.
In Kurdish-majority areas, DEM candidates have visited villages to hold public meetings and listen to the concerns of the local population, with a particular focus on women’s issues. Women wear national dress and children wave DEM party flags.
🔴 Kurdish schoolchildren rally behind the DEM Party
A vibrant scene unfolded in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority province of Mardin (Mêrdîn) when local schoolchildren spotted the DEM party’s election campaign vehicle passing by. The children rushed up to the school gate waving and… pic.twitter.com/famw0CfPvq
— MedyaNews (@medyanews_) February 26, 2024
This year’s election cycle has been marked by a particularly politically charged environment, highlighting the importance of local governance and the Kurdish question in Turkish politics.
Campaigning to replace government-appointed mayors in Kurdish-majority regions and offer what it calls a “third way” of politics to the people of Turkey, the DEM party signalled a commitment to broadening its appeal and addressing issues of local governance. The party, which is fielding candidates in various cities across the country, is calling on the people, workers and women to nurture hope for the future and peace.
While the DEM party campaigns for peace and a political solution to the country’s Kurdish issue, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s emphasis on national security remains a key part of his message to voters.
“If you want peace and tranquillity, you have to be ready for war,” Erdoğan said at an election rally on Saturday, arguing that a strong military and defence industry were necessary to ensure the peaceful existence of the Turkish nation. His emphasis on military strength stands in stark contrast to the DEM Party’s message of reconciliation and dialogue.
Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) are keen to win back key cities lost to the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the 2019 elections. However, the AKP is also seeking to increase its vote share in Kurdish-majority provinces where it has replaced elected mayors with appointed administrators.
The DEM Party, on the other hand, is determined to win back municipalities taken over by the AKP through the appointment of trustees.
Waves of trustee appointments in Kurdish-majority municipalities
Following the collapse of short-lived peace talks between the PKK and the Turkish government aimed at ending the Kurdish conflict within Turkey, the first wave of trustee appointments to Kurdish-majority municipalities in 2016 saw a total of 95 municipalities placed under trusteeship. Along with these appointments, 93 co-mayors of the replaced municipalities were also arrested.
In what can be interpreted as a reflection of the public protest to the trustee appointments, the pro-Kurdish party won the mayoralty of a total of 65 municipalities in the local elections on 31 March 2019.
However, just four months after the elections, on 19 August 2019, a fresh process began in which trustee appointments continued in waves and numerous Kurdish mayors were arrested.
