Following two days of rigorous political objection and massive civil demonstrations, Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) has overturned the Van Provincial Electoral Board’s decision, thereby reinstating Abdullah Zeydan of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party as the mayor of Van. This decision came after Zeydan, despite his substantial election victory, was initially denied the mayoralty by the local council.
Mehmet Rüştü Tiryaki, who represents the DEM Party in the YSK, announced that the council had overturned the local election board’s decision by a vote of seven to four in favour of Zeydan’s reinstatement. Tiryaki emphasised the finality of the YSK’s decisions, noting that they are beyond appeal.
The controversy started when the Van Provincial Election Board awarded the mayoral mandate to the AKP candidate, who came second with 27.2 percent of the votes, due to a legal issue with Zeydan’s candidacy.
The local election board’s decision was met with widespread protests in Van and other Kurdish-majority cities, with tens of thousands demonstrating against what they saw as an attempt to undermine the election results.
The YSK’s decision to reinstate Zeydan, who won a decisive 55.48 percent of the vote with co-candidate Neslihan Şedal, has been hailed as a victory for democracy and Kurdish representation. Tens of thousands have begun celebrating in the Kurdish provinces.
In Van, a wave of celebration erupted after the YSK’s decision. Tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the provincial building of the DEM Party and started celebrating the victory of the resistance. Chanting slogans, the crowd marched towards Cumhuriyet Street, where Zeydan was expected to speak.
