In a speech at an event with provincial co-chairs of his party in Ankara on Sunday, pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan urged mobilisation to “win two people for each illegal voter” in order to counter the Turkish government’s alleged attempts to manipulate the forthcoming local elections.
Bakırhan also targeted the Turkish government’s approach to the Middle East and its economic strategies, accusing it of pursuing war in the Middle East in order to dominate energy resources, and criticising its backing of Israeli military operations against Palestinians.
Addressing the country’s economic situation, Bakırhan highlighted the dire poverty and despair faced by many citizens, advocating a new economic model focused on the needs of workers. With local elections on the horizon, he condemned alleged manipulation tactics of the government, such as the relocation of soldiers and police to Kurdish-majority regions to inflate vote counts.
Bakırhan’s appeal to DEM Party members was clear, urging a redoubled effort to counteract what he described as irregularities. “We need to win two people for each illegal voter,” he asserted, emphasising the importance of a democratic local governance agenda. “This is a game of deceit and fraud, and we will not let them get away with it,” he added, calling for increased voter engagement in order to secure a democratic future for Turkey.
