Ayşegül Doğan, spokeswoman for Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), revealed significant irregularities in voter registrations in Şırnak (Şirnex) and Iğdır (Îdir) during a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Ankara on Friday. Highlighting an unusual surge in voter numbers in Şırnak and dubious registrations in Iğdır, Doğan raised concerns over electoral fairness.
In Şırnak, a city typically experiencing population decline due to unemployment and poverty, the voter count has unexpectedly increased in recent months. “In a city with such high emigration, how can the voter count surge by 8,343 just months before an election?” Doğan questioned, pointing out the abnormality. Iğdır also saw peculiarities, with at least 4,361 questionable registrations in central Iğdır and two new neighbourhoods. Notably, one address, previously non-existent in the last election, now registers 743 male voters. This address is identified as the Provincial Police Headquarters, indicating a potential misuse of voter registrations.
“Our address enquiry system reveals this location to be the Provincial Police Headquarters, suggesting that in Iğdır province, police officers might be working online, living at their place of work,” she stated. These findings, according to Doğan, indicate a possible manipulation of voter data. “These are the observations we’ve made,” she added, acknowledging that there may be other instances yet to be detected.
The DEM Party is taking active steps to address these concerns. “Our party’s Legal Committee is monitoring this closely. Our local and district branches are equally engaged. Our MPs, Party Assembly members, and Central Executive Committee members are involved,” Doğan explained. The party is preparing applications and appeals regarding these voter registrations, intending to initiate legal proceedings against each fraudulent registration in an effort to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process.
