Elections in Turkey
DIE LINKE sent more than 40 observers to Turkey to follow the parliamentary elections on the 1st of November.
Opposition parties, especially our partner party HDP, as well as left and Kurdish movements are under much pressure in Turkey, especially since last elections in June when HDP passed the 10 percent threshold with a great result of 13 percent and could thus prevent president Erdoğans AKP from gaining absolute majority. After the success of HDP in summer, pressure against opposition increased and horrible attacks (Suruç and Ankara) with many deads, airstrikes of the Turkish army against the PKK, curfews in several Kurdish cities with civilians killed by snipers, attacks against HDP and media offices by a mob and other incidents took place. A regular election campaign was not possible anymore and fear of electoral fraud grew.
DIE LINKE was part of electoral observer delegations with more than 40 members, among them members of parliament in Brussels and the Bundestag (MdEP Martina Michels, MdB Karin Binder, MdB Heike Hänsel, MdB Jan van Aken), as well as vice chair of the party’s executive board, Tobias Pflüger in different Turkish districts. One observation all groups made was: weapons and armed security were everywhere; in front of polling stations and often even inside, police and military showed their presence, armored cars and water cannons brought in alertingly. Sometimes observers the access to polling stations was denied, they were followed by civil police - an observer group from Italy was even arrested. The delegations could not proof electoral fraud directly but intimidations and numerous obstacles for the voters were obvious and documented.
Despite the heavy problems and threats the HDP again reached the threshold with 10 percent and could get 59 seats. At the same time it was bitter that Erdoğan with his propaganda, his war, and his pressure against Kurds, opposition groups, and media could succeed with his strategy this time winning the AKP the majority. Angela Merkel’s visit to Turkey shortly before elections was a disastrous signal. She made a shabby deal with Erdoğan concerning the refugee crisis and completely ignored that it was Erdoğan himself who is jointly responsible for the refugee crisis with his support for Islamist groups in Syria, his war against the PKK and his oppression of any opposition.