The invalidation of the election of a mayor from the pro-Kurdish party in favor of the ruling party in Van, in eastern Turkey, sparked a wave of anger on Tuesday April 2 which was expressed until Istanbul. Abdullah Zeydan was elected on Sunday with 55.48% of the votes in this large city with a Kurdish majority, famous for its lake and close to the Iranian border. His main rival, from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was also swept aside in many large cities in the country, only obtained 27.15% of the votes.
Third political force in Parliament, the DEM (ex-HDP), the main pro-Kurdish party in Turkey, denounces a decision “illegal” of the electoral commission which, according to him, challenged the political rights of Mr. Zeydan on Friday, less than forty-eight hours before the election.
The pro-Kurdish party affirms that its candidate had nevertheless “completed all required legal procedures and obtained validation of his candidacy by the High Electoral Council (YSK)”. “The Ministry of Justice is trying to confiscate the will of the people of Van. It’s a political putsch”reacted DEM co-president Tuncer Bakirhan during a rally in front of the High Electoral Council in Ankara.
“We reject the decision of the Van provincial electoral commission to hand over the mandate of mayor of the metropolis to the AKP candidate”the party protested again in a press release.
Barricades erected in Van
Hundreds of supporters gathered in front of the party headquarters in Van to express their solidarity with the elected official, throwing smoke bombs and setting up barricades, according to images from the Turkish news agency DHA.
The police responded and dispersed the gathering using tear gas and water cannons. Around a hundred people also gathered in a tense atmosphere in Kadikoy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, a district traditionally rebellious and hostile to the government. “No to administrators appointed by the government, do not touch the will of the Kurdish people”sang the demonstrators.
“Not handing over his mandate to the DEM party candidate elected mayor of Van is to deny the will of the people of Van. This is unacceptable “reacted on X Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul (CHP, social-democratic opposition) re-elected on Sunday.
“It is a question of law, at the discretion of the provincial electoral commissionreplied AKP spokesperson Omer Celik during a press conference. This is not an area where the government can intervene. » “Reacting within a democratic framework is everyone’s right. But turning this into violence has nothing to do with democracy.”he added.
Erdogan challenged by the opposition
Former HDP co-president Selahattin Demirtas, imprisoned since 2016 for “terrorism”challenged Head of State Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “On election night, you said you would respect the will of the people. Unfortunately, what happened in Van is not consistent with your statements. »
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In a message sent by his lawyers, he calls ” All (THE) people, in particular the population of Van, as well as all pro-democracy forces and parties, to oppose this illegal decision”.
Elected HDP deputy in 2015, Abdullah Zeydan was arrested the following year at the same time as around ten other members of his party. The authorities accused him of having attended the funerals of members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group considered terrorist by Ankara and its Western allies, which the government accuses of links with the main pro-Kurdish party in Turkey. Imprisoned, Mr. Zeydan was released at the beginning of 2022.
Around fifty mayors elected in 2019 under the HDP label in southeastern Turkey were replaced by administrators appointed by the state. These waves of arrests and dismissals had sparked tensions in the region and outraged reactions in the West.
