Salih Muslim, co-chair of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), expressed confidence that local elections would go ahead as planned for North and East Syria in August, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat at his office in Al-Hasakah (Hesekê).
The elections have been postponed twice. “The elections were first postponed from 30 May to 11 June due to logistical problems with the Higher Elections Commission. There was a lack of preparation, possibly due to inexperience or unfamiliarity with our area,” Muslim explained.
Muslim also highlighted political objections to the commission’s decision to shorten the campaign period from 20 days, as stipulated in the social contract, to just 10 days. He also mentioned the need for observers to monitor the elections, which required additional time to obtain visas and permits.
“These were the real reasons for postponing the elections until August, despite the claims that it was due to American pressure and Turkish escalation,” Muslim clarified. He stressed that the elections are aimed at managing local affairs in areas outside the control of the Syrian government, with no intention of secession from Syria.
Muslim addressed Turkey’s reactions, which he described as “provocative”, but stressed their unwavering commitment to holding the elections. “We are committed to proceeding with these elections as planned,” he said.
Ömer Çelik, deputy chairman and spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), commented on the upcoming elections in North and East Syria:
“We see this as a development that threatens Turkey and we will intervene immediately. We had strongly opposed the attempts by YPG-PYD elements to hold local elections. The idea of promoting democracy under the pretext of fighting ISIS is unacceptable. It essentially means creating a ‘terroristan’. Any development that threatens the territorial integrity of Syria and Turkey will be assessed and addressed immediately.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a play on words with ‘terror’ and ‘Kurdistan’, had previously said, “Turkey will not allow a ‘terroristan’ across its southern border”, and described the elections as “aggressive actions against the territorial integrity of Turkey and Syria under the pretext of a referendum”.
Commenting on the US reaction to the scheduled elections, Muslim noted, “They told us, ‘We see you are moving quickly with this.’ That was their only comment, without any further explanation.” Earlier on 30 May, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told a press briefing that the US does not believe conditions in North and East Syria are suitable for holding elections.
