Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) has won the Hilvan (Curnê Reş) municipality in Sanliurfa (Riha) with an unofficial tally of 10,730 votes, defeating the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate who received 7,420 votes.
The unofficial results of the local election, a rerun of polls on 31 March, indicate a clear victory for the DEM Party’s co-mayors, Serhan Paydaş and Garip Yeşil, and a tenfold increase in vote margin.
In light of local mourning, the DEM Party chose not to celebrate the victory. Instead, thousands of citizens gathered for a statement made by the co-mayors. DEM Party MP Ömer Öcalan addressed the crowd, praising the resilience in Hilvan:
“Once again, the people have said ‘we are here’. We are a community that has lived on this land for centuries, honouring our history and choosing to live together. Despite the grave injustice faced on 31 March, the people of Hilvan remained steadfast and sought justice. We stand firm and will continue to do so. We will walk the path of unity in Hilvan.”
Öcalan continued, “Our observers are still at the Hilvan courthouse because the deceit of this party [AKP] is endless. We will not leave until the official figures are announced. Today, you have made history, and we will uphold this until the end.”
The ruling AKP had objected to the initial results of Hilvan’s 31 March local elections, prompting the rerun. The objections, to irregularities in 15 ballot boxes, were accepted by the District Election Board, despite allegations that the irregularities had been staged by the AKP candidate’s relatives to overturn their defeat.
