Despite Clear Win in Agri, BDP Calls for Re-Election in Turkey’s Local Polls

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Local election results in Turkey’s eastern Agri province were annulled at the request of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which said it decided to repeat the polls despite a clear win in order to avoid tensions and bloodshed following repeated recounts.

 The March 30 election will be repeated again on June 1, due to constant challenges of the count by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the BDP said.

BDP candidate Sirri Sakik won the municipality election in Agri last week by 10 votes against his AKP rival Hasan Arslan. But the AKP alleged that its candidate had won, and ordered a recount. After 14 recounts did not change the results, and the AKP demanded yet another tally, the BDP asked for an annulment and repeat election in Agri.

According to Sakik, the BDP took the decision to calm rising tensions in Agri and to avoid possible violence from complications created by AKP.

“Despite leading with nearly 150 votes after a recount of 24 ballot boxes that lasted 30 hours, we preferred to ask for the annulment of the process due to the tension in the city and the sensitivity of our people,” Sakik said.

“The public knows that from day one we were victorious, and despite the repeated contest of the polls we have remained victorious in the elections,” he added.

Claims of fraud have riddled last week’s polls, with Turkish and Kurdish opposition parties accusing the ruling AKP of stealing votes.

The Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) candidate Mansur Yavas filed a lawsuit contesting the election in Ankara -- a key battleground -- and demanded a recount, which was rejected by the electoral board.

Meanwhile, Arslan, the AKP candidate, welcomed the re-election in Agri, saying his party had asked for that even before the BDP. “They have understood how correct the AKP was in that the elections had lost their legitimacy. We have reached our goal,” Arslan was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet daily.

Sakik accused the AKP of trying to rob votes. He hailed Agri as the “fortress of the Kurds” and vowed not to surrender it to AKP once more.

 “AKP had an agreement with all the businessmen and companies, yet we could increase our votes by 30 percent and liberated the fortress. We will never give this fortress to anyone. From now on this is the fortress of Kurds.”