The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party revealed its manifesto for Turkey’s coming local elections of 31 March 2024 during an event held in Ankara on Sunday. The announcement was made by party co-chairs Tuncer Bakırhan and Tülay Hatimoğulları, and there was significant attendance including the party’s co-mayoral candidates.
The manifesto highlights a range of projects aimed at benefiting various societal groups including women, children, the disabled, the youth and the elderly, underlining a unified vision of success and progress with the DEM Party. The event also paid tribute to imprisoned politician Gültan Kışanak, the party’s co-mayoral candidate for Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, by placing her photograph on an empty chair in the protocol area.
Key Points from the Manifesto:
Local Democracy and Free Cities
Hatimoğulları emphasised the importance of local democracy in facing global and local challenges such as war, violence, poverty and environmental risks. The manifesto criticises the current government’s approach to peace, the Kurdish issue and social injustices while advocating for a democratic and equal society starting from local governance.
Comprehensive Policies
The party outlined its commitment to addressing a wide array of social issues including multi-lingual municipality services, the inclusion of all community groups in local governance, and the implementation of eco-friendly, inclusive and democratic local policies.
Youth and Women Empowerment
The manifesto promises to enhance the involvement of youth and women in local governance through various initiatives, aiming to create more inclusive and participatory local administrations.
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
The party plans to implement policies that respect and promote the cultural rights of all community groups within the municipalities, emphasising the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity.
Health, Social and Economic Policies
The manifesto includes plans for accessible healthcare, social housing, job creation and the promotion of local economies, with a focus on sustainability and equality.
Urban Planning and Environment
The party pledges to prioritise eco-friendly urban development, disaster-resilient infrastructure and public spaces that cater to the needs of all residents.
Responses to Detention and Authoritarianism
The event also featured messages of solidarity and called for an end to the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who is seen as key to a peaceful solution to Turkey’s Kurdish question, and called also for a commitment to overcoming the challenges posed by trusteeships in municipalities, a government practice of deposing elected pro-Kurdish mayors and municipal council members and replacing them with government appointees, or ‘trustees’.
Meanwhile, in a bid to strengthen local democracy and combat electoral manipulation, the DEM Party co-chairs called on citizens to verify their voter registration and participate actively in the coming elections. In a video message, Bakırhan and Hatimoğulları emphasised the importance of each vote for safeguarding democracy and ensuring fair representation.
