Ahmet Turk, DEM Party candidate, stressed during an interview with Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih on Tuesday that the upcoming elections and the municipality of Mardin are of great significance for the party, adding that they wish to better serve the Kurdish population of the city.
“Wherever there is a gap in service provision, we will serve our people there,” said the former two-time Mardin mayor.
Turk added that he does not believe Ankara will appoint a trustee in Mardin following the upcoming elections, because the process has been heavily criticized in the past and “the people will not stand for it.”
Dozens of elected pro-Kurdish mayors in Turkey have been stripped of their offices over the years and replaced with state-linked trustees (administrators) due to their alleged links with the Kurdish rebels.
Abdullah Erin, AKP’s candidate, criticized Turk’s previous mandates as mayor of Mardin and urged voters to put their trust in fresh candidates.
“DEM Party does not have economic or agricultural projects for Mardin, and has no agenda to serve women and the youth,” Erin told Rudaw, noting that the AKP on the other hand, has planned out around 470 projects across different parts of Mardin.
Erin claimed that there are no longer any obstacles preventing the Kurdish population of Mardin from freely practicing their own traditions and culture.
“In Mardin, different ethnicities and religions coexist and Kurds have the same rights as Turks… Now, any child that wishes to learn the Kurdish language can do so. Kurds are not being discriminated against, but there are parties trying to sow sedition among Kurds and Turks,” he said.
Ismail Cevik is Huda Par’s candidate for Mardin’s mayoralty. He told Rudaw that the party seeks to consolidate a policy of justice in the city and serve all its components without discrimination.
“The municipality serves the needs of all the people as one… Huda Par considers itself a party for all ethnicities,” said Cevik, adding that Kurdish needs to be established as an official language and taught in schools.
Turkey is set to hold local elections on March 31.
