In Turkey’s east, many Kurds vote with the intention of removing Erdogan
Voters in Kurdish areas of eastern Turkey flocked to polling stations yesterday despite concerns about vote-rigging and possible violence, as many sought to have President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party removed froim power.
The elections offer Mr Erdogan the chance to secure a parliamentary majority and a presidency with sweeping powers granted by a referendum last year, something that worries many Kurds, who make up about a fifth of Turkey’s population.
After the collapse of peace negotiations in 2015, eastern Turkey has had sporadic battles between security forces and the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Turkey considers a terrorist organisation.
More than 2,000 people have been killed and about 400,000 were displaced from their homes. Under a state of emergency, tens of thousands of Mr Erdogan’s opponents have been arrested and hundreds of non-profit organisations closed across eastern Turkey.
Kurdish voters have expressed scepticism that the vote would be conducted fairly.
Outside a polling station near the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) office in Diyarbakir, “Elif” told The
National that she believed Mr Erdogan and the AKP would engage in electoral fraud to ensure their victory.
But Elif said she believed opposition parties had run an effective campaign.
“Before the election, Kurds were so discouraged, but opposition parties have run such an inspiring campaign that it motivated me and my friends to vote,” she said.
How well the HDP performs will be critical to securing a pro-Kurdish vote in parliament and to Mr Erdogan’s party’s chances of securing a majority.
Under Turkey’s parliamentary system, a party must secure 10 per cent of the vote before they can assume their seats.
If a party fails to pass the threshold, their seats are allocated to the second-placed party.
If the HDP fails to pass that threshold, its seats are likely to pass to the AKP.
Agit, a 24-year-old independent election monitor, said he was motivated to vote to help HDP over the threshold to enter parliament.
While the vote in Diyarbakir had proceeded without reported breaches, Agit said that fewer election monitors were present in outlying villages and towns.
In Cinar, a town in Diyarbakir province, there were reports that state-armed village guards had tried to prevent people from casting their ballots, an independent election monitor in the town said.
A fight ensued after four voters confronted the guards, which resulted in police officers detaining the men.
A pro-Kurdish presence in parliament was the only way for Turkey to secure a lasting peace, many believe.
“The government calls every Kurd who is against them a terrorist,” said Hasan Kale, a retired municipal employee in Diyarbakir.
“Kurds don’t want to fight but what does the government expect when they throw all of our youth and leaders in jail?”