Sunday is local election day in Turkiye when voters will choose Mayors and local council members. The country has the region's largest Kurdish population, at nearly 15 million.

İstanbul

Turkey is set to hold local elections, during which voters will select Mayors and local council members. These elections will take place on a Sunday. The country is home to the region's largest Kurdish population, which is nearly 15 million strong. The significance of Kurdish voters is highlighted as candidates actively seek to court this demographic.



Turkey elections: Candidates court Kurdish voters

Ahmet Turk is running for mayor of Mardin in southeastern Turkey for the pro-Kurdish Dem Party. As a previous two-term mayor of the city, he is used to the weeks-long campaign. He was removed from office in 2019 along with dozens of other pro-Kurdish elected mayors and replaced with state-linked trustees after allegations of links to the PKK, an outlawed Kurdish armed group. Ahmet Turk says Kurdish identity is being disregarded and Turkey is moving towards racism. They appoint trustees but we retain our will. Our people oppose this policy and take a democratic stance. We sought dignified peace and justice from the start. If this happens, Turkey will be the strongest state in the Middle East. Unfortunately, Kurds are seen as a threat. Mehmet Ali Sibilden is the governing AK Party's mayoral candidate in Diyarbakir, the largest city in the southeast. He rejects those allegations. As an ethnic Kurd, he speaks Kurdish with locals and conducts interviews in the language. And as an example of his party's achievement, he also reminds voters the education ministry offers Kurdish classes while the state TV has a Kurdish channel. If I had campaigned in Kurdish 30 years ago, I'd be imprisoned for a year. No matter who is elected, as long as he follows the law, I do not believe trustees can be on the agenda. But if you violate the law and transfer resources to the PKK, there may be consequences. Hüdapar, a pro-Kurdish hardline party, is more visible these days in major Kurdish cities like Diyarbakir. It demands a significant constitutional change and for Kurdish to become the second official language. The party's vice-chair says they offer an alternative. What matters is the people's will. We never accept that trustees become a system. However, no person sitting in that position has the authority to commit a crime. In this case, the criminals and the parties as a whole must be separated. The opposition has strongly spoken out against Hüdapar, comparing it to the outlawed armed group. In cities like Diyarbakir, politicians use different language in their campaigns. While the ruling AK Party focuses on providing municipal services, the pro-Kurdish parties call for the protection of Kurdish identity and freedoms. One thing is for sure, Kurdish citizens here need them all.

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Council of the City of Sydney

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Paris

Israel-Gaza War

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Ukraine Invasion

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Kokoda

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Pyongyang

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