“Although this election is a provincial one, it will have an impact on Turkey’s political landscape and our future. Therefore, we should be strong in the vote,” Serhat Eren, a lawmaker for the DEM Party, representing Diyarbakir (Amed), told Rudaw’s Hevidar Zana on Friday, adding that the vote is essential for Kurds.
In Kurdish areas in the southeast of the country it is shaping up to be a tight race between Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the DEM Party.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which has rebranded itself as the DEM Party due to legal issues, performed well in the last provincial polls in 2019, but most of its mayors were later accused of having ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and replaced by trustees - administrators appointed by Ankara.
Eren said a vote for his party will send a message to the government that the people are opposed to the appointment of unelected administrators.
He believes the state has deployed thousands of soldiers to cast ballots in cities and towns where the DEM Party is strong in order to change the results. The official line, he said, is that the soldiers have been deployed to provide security for the vote.
"Hopefully, March 31 will be a turning point where our Kurdish brothers will be free from all oppression and decide the future of themselves and their city with their free will," Erdogan said.
He acknowledged that the AKP performed poorly in the general election last year.
“In the elections held last May, we could not reach the number of votes we desired in both the parliamentary and presidential elections in Diyarbakir. However, I believe that the election result did not please you,” he said, claiming that the alleged presence of 70,000 people in his rally proves his point that the people are not satisfied with the 2019 election results and are seeking change.
Ankara could soften its position towards Kurds after Sunday’s local elections, bringing in more tolerance towards Turkey’s large Kurdish population, a renowned pro-government journalist told Rudaw on Friday, though he ruled out a revival of peace talks.
“There is no possibility of a new solution process, but there may be a softening. The climate may soften. The softening of the climate may lead to more tolerance, understanding and freedom towards the Kurds. This can happen if the Kurds remain neutral in the fight between the Turks,” said Rasim Ozan Kutahyali.
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