Research recently conducted by a journalist revealed that the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) had the support of the majority of the prison population in Turkey in the last general elections.
There were 264,000 inmates in Turkish prisons in 2018 when the elections were held.
Journalist Doğan Can Polat found out after carrying out research based on the data of official election results that HDP emerged as the winner in prisons located in 49 provinces, while the ruling alliance’s partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) won in nine provinces and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in seven.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) did not win in any province.
According to the report, HDP won in all ballot boxes in Silivri prison, the largest prison in the whole of Europe. While it received 46% of the votes, AKP received a mere 2%.
Edirne prison
Research carried out by Medya News shows that the HDP received 56% of the total vote in Edirne F type prison while AKP received none.
Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the HDP, and Selçuk Mızraklı, the removed mayor of the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakır (Amed) are imprisoned in Edirne F type prison.
Kandıra prison
In Kandıra prison, HDP received over 40% of the vote, while AKP received 7%, MHP 24% and CHP 16.5%.
Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chair of HDP, Gültan Kışanak, the removed former mayor of Diyarbakır, and Aysel Tuğluk, former MP who is being denied release despite suffering severe dementia, are among Kurdish political prisoners incarcerated in Kandıra prison.
Kandıra prison is also the place where Kurdish political prisoner Garibe Gezer died under suspicious circumstances on 9 December 2021.
AKP received 42.6% of the popular vote in 2018 parliamentary election, while CHP received 22.6%, HDP received 11.7%, and MHP received 11.1%.
