As the parliamentary elections in Turkey approach, KHRP has published a key briefing paper on the election’s potential impact on political representation for Kurdish people. The paper draws attention to the difficulties still faced by Kurds in Turkey in achieving the free, fair and genuine expression of their choice of political representatives.

The Turkish government persists in its imposition of a 10 per cent national electoral threshold, despite recommendations from the European Court of Human Rights that it should be lowered. Further, the recent move by the Turkish government to declare certain provinces in the Kurdish regions a High Security Zone has led to restrictions on the activities of pro-Kurdish parties based there. This has further complicated the work of campaigners who already struggle to make themselves known to Kurdish constituents, given that it is illegal to use the Kurdish language in electioneering.

KHRP Executive Director Kerim Yildiz today stated: “As long as the inherent problems in the Turkish electoral system remain unresolved, Kurdish people will not be free to elect a representative of their choice for fair and equitable political representation. KHRP calls on the Turkish government to remove direct and indirect restrictions on the campaigning and election of Kurdish political representatives and to allow a fair and genuine expression of the will of the people.”

To read KHRP’s latest briefing paper, Upcoming Elections in Turkey, please visit the KHRP homepage at www.khrp.org.

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