Turkish President Recep Tayyip Tayyip Erdogan said he is not satisfied with Sunday's provincial elections, promising to closely examine potential mistakes of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and rectify them. 

Erdogan's AKP trailed behind in the local polls, losing numerous municipalities. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) emerged as the main winner of the elections, according to preliminary results published by state media. 

"Unfortunately, we did not get the result we wanted and hoped for from the local election exam," Erdogan told supporter in his first post-election speech midnight. 

"We will definitely take the necessary steps by weighing the messages given by the nation at the ballot box in the most accurate and objective way," he added, concluding that “wherever we lose or fall behind, we will identify the reasons very well and make the necessary interventions.” Continue Reading

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) said on Sunday that the co-chairs of its office in Sirnak were detained along with hundreds of other people, claiming that the ruling party is trying to achieve victory in the province through illegal actions. 

DEM Party accused the ruling Justice and Development Party of trying to affect election results through "illegal voters" in a statement on X.

By "illegal voters," the pro-Kurdish refers to the alleged transfer from others provinces to Kurdish-majority provinces in an attempt to create a demographic change and affect the outcome of the polls in Kurdish areas. 

"This is an usurpation of will, not only that, but also a coup against the ballot boxes," Aysegul Dogan, DEM Party spokesperson, said earlier in the day, noting that they have recorded 46,901 people have been transferred to vote across the Kurdish provinces.

According to preliminary results published by state media, AKP is keeping hold of Sirnak. Continue Reading

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) warned against alleged election fraud at the hands of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a statement on X on Sunday.

“AKP is attempting to obtain the results it couldn't reach through illegal voters in Sirnak by resorting to ballot frauds, attacking our voters and ballot officials, detaining our provincial co-chairs and hundreds of people, and besieging our provincial headquarters,” read the statement.

The party also noted that in Bitlis, the ruling AKP is “trying to alter the ballot results through frauds once again, attempting to usurp the will of our people.”

Continue Reading

The opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader on Sunday criticized the incidents in which police officers and soldiers were transferred to  Kurdish provinces to cast their votes in the Turkish local elections.

“Attempting to change the results of a local election by transferring voters to the east and southeastern provinces is as bad as appointing trustees instead of their elected mayors,” said CHP leader Ozgur Ozel, during a speech at the party headquarters in Ankara.

Ozel claimed the preliminary results demonstrate that voters across the country have decided to establish a new political era in Turkey. "Today, the voters have decided to change the 22-year-old picture of Turkey,” he said.

Ozel’s statement comes as the preliminary results from over 50 percent of opened ballot boxes show that the CHP is on its way to retaining the mayoralty of Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, and Ankara, in the country’s local elections, while leading in the overall vote across Turkey.

"According to the data we currently have and data supported by all sources, we have reclaimed Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Eskisehir, Mersin, Mugla, Tekirdag, Izmir, and Istanbul. We have also won the metropolitan municipalities of Balikesir, Bursa, Manisa, and Denizli," he added. Continue Reading

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is leading in at least ten provinces in Kurdish provinces in southeast Turkey, according to preliminary results published by state media.

The DEM Party has regained control of Diyarbakir (Amed), Mardin, Batman (Elih), Siirt, Hakkari (Colemerg), Van, and Igdir provinces which were won by its sister party, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), in 2019 local elections but were later confiscated by state-appointed administrators due to alleged links with Kurdish rebels, according to data provided by Anadolu Agency.  

The pro-Kurdish party has won Tunceli (Dersim) municipality from the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and Agri and Mus from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

However, the DEM Party lost Kars to the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). 

Around 50 percent of the votes have been counted so far.
Continue Reading

Pro-Kurdish DEM Party says that according to preliminary results that they are once again leading in the Kurdish provinces they won over in 2019 only to be ousted and replaced by state-appointed trustees.

"We are not only taking back what has been stripped from us by trustees, but also reclaiming those taken from us by deceit," said Said Aysegul Dogan, DEM Party spokesperson, referring to the claims of vote rigging having plagued the 2019 elections.

Dogan noted that despite a part of preliminary results showing that DEM Party is trailing behind in several Kurdish provinces, it nevertheless is still ahead in provinces such as Igdir and Sirnak.

Footage emerged on social media of people believed to be police officers and soldiers wearing civilian uniform entering polling stations to cast their vote in Kurdish provinces. According to the DEM party the officers are said to have be part of the nearly 50,000 who were transferred from other provinces in an attempt to create a demographic change able to affect the outcome of the poll in the Kurdish cities. The most blatant case of this is in Sirnak, where around 6,000 soldiers have been deployed.

"This is an usurpation of will, not only that, but also a coup against the ballot boxes," Dogan said earlier in the day, noting that they have recorded 46,901 people have been transferred to vote across the Kurdish provinces.

Continue Reading

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trailing behind the main opposition factions, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in Sunday's provincial elections, according to preliminary unofficial results published by state media. 

Anadolu Agency's interactive elections map shows that the CHP is leading in numerous provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara - which the AKP is seeking to regain after losing them to the main opposition party in the 2019 local elections. 

The data also indicates that the DEM Party is performing well in Kurdish provinces in the southeast of the country, maintaining a hold on the municipalities it won in 2019 only to see them handed over to government appointed trustees or administrators. 

Over 30 percent of ballot boxes have been opened so far, according to state media.
Continue Reading

"As of now, we have about 40 percent of the data, I can say accordingly that the citizens have faith in us ... We are receiving positive data," says Istanbul's incumbent mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in a briefing to the press on Sunday, as initial results from state and opposition media start to pour in.

  Continue Reading

Polling stations across all of Turkey's 81 provinces closed at 5:00 pm local time. With 32 polling stations having already closed by 4:00 pm, the remaining 49 followed suit within the hour, with preliminary results revealing the country's future expected starting from 9:00 pm.

"Now is the time to protect the ballot boxes and votes," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on X.  Continue Reading

Polling stations in 32 provinces, including the 25 southeastern Kurdish ones, for Turkey's local elections closed at 4:00 pm local time.  Continue Reading

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cast his vote in Istanbul, where his Justice and Development Party (AKP) seeks to recapture control.

Opinion polls suggest a tight race betweenin Istanbul between incumbent mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and AKP's candidate Murat Kurum.

"Istanbul is the jewel, the treasure and the apple of our country's eye," Erdogan said at a rally in the city last week.

Kurum, a former environment minister, was handpicked by Erdogan to unseat Imamoglu. Continue Reading

Ferhat Nasiroglu, an MP of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), cast his ballot in Batman’s local elections, emphasizing the significance of the democratic process, and the need to elect a mayor dedicated to serving the people of the city.

“We would like our city to progress, and for that reason, serving the city is serving the people. Anyone who can serve this city as much as they can, can become the mayor of Batman,” Nasiroglu told Rudaw’s Abdulsalam Akinci

The lawmaker stressed that nothing can be achieved through violence and extremism, and urged the public to participate in the democratic process and cast their ballots, regardless of who they might vote for.

“We have experienced this curse [violence] for a long time. It has been 40 years since we have experienced this, and for that we do not want our youth to go to the mountains or get imprisoned or to go to other countries. It is a shame.” Continue Reading

Incumbent mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu cast his vote in Istanbul's Beylikduzu district, where he previously served as district mayor. 

"I hope it [the vote] brings the best for our nation... I hope it brings tranquility, peace, and the joy of co-existence," Imamoglu told journalists as he cast his ballot.

"Democracy is a holy right of our citizens, and protecting their votes is a must," he said and called on citizens and monitors to stay at the polling centers to protects the ballot boxes until the last minutes.

Imamoglu seeks reelection for a second term as the mayor of the economic powerhouse of Turkey. In 2019, he handed Erdogan's AKP a significant blow. 

This year, Imamoglu does not enjoy the direct support of the ultranationalist IYI party and the indirect support of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party in Istanbul, like the 2019 vote. Both parties fielded their own candidates.

Opinion polls suggest a tight race between Imamoglu and AKP's candidate Murat Kurum.

Continue Reading

Violence erupted between supporters of the Kurdish-led Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and police in front of a polling station in Sirnak on Sunday over alleged vote rigging.

"As you can see here, they [the state authorities] have brought 6,000 voters, all military members here from elsewhere," Berivan Kutlu, DEM Party mayoralty candidate in Sirnak told Rudaw. "The people of Sirnak do not accept this violation against their will, so they are protesting against the move.

"The voters they have brought here are not from the Kurdish cities. They are from the Turkish metropolitan cities."

Sirnak is a small province in southeastern Turkey, bordering the Kurdistan Region. The DEM Party is believed to win the border province.

Diyarbakir, Sirnak, and Batman are cities with the most Kurdish voters. So the DEM Party is vying to win in all those major cities.

Continue Reading

Voters went to the polls on Sunday to cast their vote in Turkey’s local elections, with all eyes set on Istanbul, the “jewel” that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks to win away from the opposition. 

READ MORE: Istanbul: The ‘jewel’ up for grabs in Turkey’s local election

Continue Reading

At least one person was killed and 11 others were wounded after an altercation broke out between voters at a polling station in a village in southeast Turkey’s Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir (Amed).

The incident occurred in a station in Agaclidere, around 35 kilometers from central Diyarbakir, as voters were casting ballots to elect the local chieftain. The exact nature of the altercation or the reasons behind it have yet to be clarified.

READ MORE: One killed in altercations at polling station in Diyarbakir

Continue Reading

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas cast his vote in the country's local elections on Sunday.

Speaking to journalists at the polling stations, Yavas said that he has "no doubt" about the results of the vote adding that he will be celebrating the win later at night.

Yavas was elected as the mayor of the Turkish capital in 2019, ending an over 15-year reign of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) on the mayoralty of the city.
Continue Reading

Co-mayor candidates Dogan Hatun and Serra Bucak of the Kurdish-led Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) cast their ballots in Diyarbakir (Amed), appearing confident to win the Kurdish province. 

"We hope and we believe that we will prevail," Hatun said after casting her ballot. "Success is ours."

"The Kurdish nation has endured many difficulties.”

"I believe this election will pave the way to establish peace, co-existence, and democracy. We will succeed," she added. 

Diyarbakir, Sirnak, and Batman are cities with the most Kurdish voters. So the DEM Party is vying to win in all those major cities.
Continue Reading

The ruling Justice and Developement Party (AKP) Istanbul mayoralty candidate Murat Kurum cast his ballot in Istanbul.

Kurum called on citizens to go to the polling stations, cast their votes, and protect the ballot boxes.

The AKP candidate said he will follow the results at the party's headquarters in Istanbul adding that he hopes for an "early Eid," referring to the upcoming Muslim holiday. 

Kurum, a former environement minister, was handpicked by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to unseat Istanbul's incumbent mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Continue Reading

The ultranationalist IYI Party leader Meral Aksener cast her vote in Ankara on Sunday.

Aksener, who voted for the first time in Ankara, said that the results of the elections "will be very interesting" in the Turkish capital.

In the 2019 local elections, IYI party supported candidates of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Ankara and Istanbul.

This year, IYI Party decided to enter the race separately from the CHP and fielded candidates in both cities.
Continue Reading

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel cast his vote in the local election in Turkey's western province of Manisa. 

Ozel called on voters "celebrate responsibly" when the results are announced.

Sunday's vote marks the first election for Ozel as the leader of the CHP, Turkey's main opposition party. Continue Reading

Turkey is holding local elections on Sunday, a crucial vote that will lay the foundations of the country’s political scene for the next few years. The opposition is aiming to tighten its grip on the key cities it won in 2019 and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) wants to win back the economic powerhouse of Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

READ MORE: Turkish local elections: What you need to know Continue Reading

The results of Turkey’s provincial elections on Sunday will have an impact on the future of Kurds in the country, according to a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).

“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. 
 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday told supporters in Diyarbakir that the election will be a “turning point” for Turkey’s Kurds as they will determine their future. 

"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. Continue Reading

The leader of the Kurdish Islamist Free Cause Party (Huda Par) on Saturday said he thinks his party will draw support from voters who are unhappy with both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), whose sister party he blamed for the collapse of peace talks a decade ago.

Turkey will hold provincial elections on Sunday. In Kurdish areas in the southeast it is shaping up to be a tight race between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP and the DEM Party.

“We can take votes away from both parties,” Huda Par leader Zekeriya Yapicioglu told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman.

“The election results on April 1 will show that… Those who previously voted for DEM Party and HDP [Peoples’ Democratic Party], or those who had voted for AKP and other parties, will make their dissatisfaction clear and vote for Huda Par,” he added.

Yapicioglu claimed that there has been a campaign to discredit Huda Par for years. The party faces opposition on every side. Ultranationalists criticize it because it is a Kurdish party, Kemalists because it is an Islamist party, while DEM Party considers itself the only representative of Kurds, according to the Huda Par leader.

Yapicioglu blamed HDP for a collapse in peace talks to end decades of bloody conflict between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The peace process started in 2013 under then-prime minister Erdogan and was mediated by the pro-Kurdish HDP, but collapsed in 2015, followed by intense urban fighting in the country’s Kurdish areas.

“If the peace process of 12 to 13 years ago was not ruined by Qandil [PKK’s mountainous stronghold], the PKK, and the leftists at HDP, I believe other steps would have been taken which would have improved the situation of our people when it comes to the Kurdish issue,” said the Huda Par leader.

“We believe the Kurdish issue in Turkey needs to be resolved, otherwise Turkey cannot progress,” he added. 

Since July 2015, nearly 7,000 people have been killed in clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK in Turkey and across the border in the Kurdistan Region, according to data from the International Crisis Group.

Yapicioglu accused the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) of attempting to “Turkify” Kurds and denying their existence and said this is why his party supported Erdogan and AKP during the May 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections.

“Hundreds of thousands of Kurds have been killed due to the ideology of CHP, because it is a racist nationalist ideology. So in order to prevent that ideology from winning the elections, we decided to support the AKP,” he said.

There is a long history of animosity and conflict over Kurdish issues and rights in Turkey. The state has at times gone as far as denying the very existence of Kurds. 

Erdogan has been accused of using Kurds for political gain during elections. When his AKP came to power three decades ago, Kurds were provided limited cultural rights. The party has also appointed Kurdish ministers to its cabinets. The incumbent finance and foreign ministers are among them.

But after AKP fared poorly in the last municipal elections, it stripped dozens of elected pro-Kurdish mayors of their offices because of alleged links with the Kurdish rebels and replaced them with state-linked administrators. Continue Reading

Voting for Turkey’s local elections in 49 provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara, started at 8:00 am local time.

The polling stations will remain open until 4:00 pm for the 32 provinces which started at 7:00 am, but an hour later for the remaining provinces.

Media and news outlets will be restricted from making news, predictions, or comments about the election or election results until 6:00 pm. Broadcasting announcements from Turkey’s supreme election council will be allowed from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm, after which the embargo is set to be lifted completely.
Continue Reading

Polling stations opened across 32 provinces of Turkey at 7:00 am local time, as over 61 million eligible voters are set to cast ballots throughout the country. Voting in the major cities, including Ankara and Istanbul, will start an hour later.

A total of 34 political parties will be competing at over 200,000 polling stations throughout the country, as well more than 1,000 mobile ballot boxes set up for voters who are unable to travel due to illness or disability.

The polls, which includes over one million first-time voters, will determine local administrators across the country’s 81 provinces for the next five years.
Continue Reading

Turkey's local elections kicked off on Sunday morning with over 61 million people eligible to vote, including more than one million first-time voters. 34 parties will compete for local administrators across 81 provinces of the country. Continue Reading