KURDS CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS

to the election process in Turkey

by Roni Alasor

Brussels, 26 May 2015 - Middle East Diplomatic (MED) - Around 30 Kurdish organization call to the European Union, UN and the international community for international observers to the election process in Turkey in order to ensure a fair and democratic elections. The general elections will be held in Turkey on the 7th of June, 2015.

The statement said that “this election will be a turning point for the country with regards to a new constitution, the process of democratisation and the achievement of a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. The outcome will lead either to democratisation, a new democratic constitution and to a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question or, it will lead to the authoritarian one-man Regime.”

The undersigned Kurdish political institutions, parties and organisations underlined that “the Turkish electoral system remains an anti-democratic system inherited from the 1980 military coup. The 10% election threshold is the highest in the world and remains in place to impede Kurdish people from being represented in the country’s parliament. Despite many promises from the AKP, it has still not abolished this threshold after 13 years of power, which it largely owes to the threshold itself.”

In the last two elections, the supporters of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement and those that want to see democratic change, came together under the umbrella of the HDP. The HDP entered both elections through independent candidates and later formed a group within parliament. However, the HDP is entering this election as a party in its own right. Surveys are showing that the HDP will overcome the threshold. If the HDP overcomes the threshold, then the AKP will not be able to gain a majority in the parliament.

This is why the AKP has based its election strategy around ensuring that the HDP remains under the threshold. They are making use of all state mechanisms that they hold under their control. Despite the Presidency being constitutionally bound to be neutral, President Erdogan is running an election campaign, as if he was still the leader of the AKP.

Alongside this, every day there are violent attacks against the HDP’s offices, buildings and activities. In the past 25 days there have been 66 attacks against the HDP. The police is not taking the necessary measures to stop this and in most cases is actually protecting the attackers. These attacks are being covertly provoked by the government.

There are growing concerns that these attacks will continue in the election day and that the AKP government will be up to its usual election day antics. According to opinion polls, the majority of the people do not believe that there will be a fair election. The signatories of the declaration also believe that the elections will not be carried out fairly and democratically.

 It is for this reason that international observers are required to oversee the election process in order to ensure that fair and democratic elections take place.

We, as the undersigned institutions, parties and organisations of Kurdistan, request that you contribute to the efforts of ensuring a democratic election process in Turkey by sending delegations of observers.

We kindly hope that you will show the necessary efforts in realising this request.

• Kurdistan National Congress – KNK

• YNK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan)

• PYD (Democratic Union Party)

• GORAN

• HSDK (Socialist Democrats Party of Kurdistan)

• PÎK (Islamic Party of Kurdistan)

• KCD-E (Democratic Society Congress of Kurds in Europe)

• Communist Part of Kurdistan

• Yekgirtûyî Islam in Kurdistan

• Association of Islam in Kurdistan

• TJKE (Kurdistan Women’s Movement in Europe)

• Kurdistan Êzidi Federation

• E.S.U (Assyrians Union in Europe)

• Assyrians Party in Rojava

• PJAK (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan)

• ZehmetkêÅŸanî Party of Kurdistan

• Ayindeyî Party of Kurdistan

• HDP Europe

• P.D.K.S (Party of Democrat Kurds in Syria)

• P.Ç.D.K-S (Party of Democrat Left Kurds – Syria)

• PÇK-S (Party of Left Kurd – Syria)

• Party of Green in Kurdistan

• Kurdish Institute Brussels

• Association of Democratic Yarsan

• PYNA (Party of Free National Union) Rojava

• T.N.K.S (Movement of Nûjen Kurdistan – Syria )

• Assemble of Åžengalê in Foreign Country

• Dîwexanî Kurds in Europa