After the March 31 local elections, the appeals against the results have become the main topic in Turkey’s agenda.
While the objections in İstanbul and the capital Ankara, where CHP won according to the unofficial results, are the most talked, disputes are going on in the mostly Kurdish populated eastern and southeastern provinces.
In the places where the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the elections by a little margin to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), district election councils have rejected all the appeals so far.
Time for the district councils to examine the objections expires today. The next level to appeal is the provincial election councils.
According to the unofficial results, AKP won the Muş mayoral election by a 538-vote margin to HDP.
Out of 48,245 votes, AKP candidate Feyat Asya got 15,919 and HDP candidate Sırrı Sakık got 15,381 votes. 2,249 votes were declared invalid.
In Malazgirt district in Muş, the AKP candidate got only three more votes than the HDP candidate.
“There is a double standard”
We spoke with HDP Diyarbakır MP Garo Paylan on the issue. Paylan says that we experienced an unjust election period and the injustice is continuing after the elections.
“The matter for us is that there is a double standard. If we were ahead of AKP by 538 votes in Muş, and by 3 votes in Malazgirt and if AKP objected to these results, would the objections be accepted or not? I am sure that they would be accepted within a couple of hours.
“I think there wouldn’t be a problem if a single standard was applied in Turkey. If objections were rejected everywhere because of similar reasons, we would say, ‘So, this is the standard.’
“But the standard in the places where AKP won and lost are very different.”
The process of appealsAfter the polls opened, the parties can appeal at the ballot councils. If rejected, they can appeal at the district election councils. If it accepts the appeal, votes are recounted. If it rejects, the parties can appeal at the provincial election councils one day later. The provincial election councils have two days to examine the objections. Being rejected by a provincial council, a party can appeal at the YSK within three days. YSK has three days to conclude objections. |
“AKP’s objections are accepted in places where the difference is over a thousand”
Reminding that the AKP’s appeals were accepted in Kars and ığdır where HDP won, Paylan says that the differences in these provinces were 1,238 and 1,514.
“While the appeals in favor of AKP are accepted in places where the difference is over a thousand, the appeal we made in Malazgirt, where the difference is three votes, is rejected.
“In Muş, hundreds of votes are recorded for the Independent Turkey Party, the Patriotic Party, and the Democratic Left Party.
“In Muş, when you say ‘party’ to the people, they generally know two parties: AKP and HDP. They don’t know even the names of those parties. While the situation is like this, you look at a ballot box and see that there are only a few votes for HDP, and 119 votes for the Patriotic Party. This is not possible. It is clear that duty holders at polls recorded the votes for HDP for other parties.
“While the situation is like this, we have minutes and the difference is only 538 votes, our appeals are rejected.
“I repeat: If AKP was in the same situation and if it objected to the results, would their objections be accepted or not?
“Election councils didn’t accept a single appeal by HDP”
“All across Turkey, there is not a single appeal by HDP that is accepted. While almost all the appeals of AKP and MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) are accepted, the district election councils didn’t accept a single appeal by HDP.
“Hereafter, appeals will be made at the provincial election councils, and then the Supreme Election Council (YSK). But, unfortunately, we don’t think the situation will change much. I hope the YSK surprises us.
Places where HDP’s appeals are rejectedHere are some of the places and differences in the votes where the HDP’s objections are rejected.
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(EKN/VK)
Source: Bianet
