The Election Observation Mission of the Council of Europe is “worried” ahead of the Turkish elections. The shortcomings are viewed, among other things, in terms of democracy.
ANKARA/BERLIN – One month before the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, observers see a “difficult electoral environment”. “From our point of view, there are many characteristics of this election and the case of Turkey of great concern,” said Frank Schwab (SPD), Head of the Election Observation Mission at the Council of Europe on Friday (April 14). They include the level of democracy, freedom of the media, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, which the Council of Europe has previously expressed concern about.
“However, Turkish democracy is surprisingly resilient,” says Schwab. There is an active civil society that knows how to monitor elections. On Election Day, May 14, one can have “a certain amount of confidence that the people’s vote at the ballot box will also be reflected in the outcome.”
On May 14, about 64 million eligible voters were invited to vote. Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, among others, is running against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power for a good 20 years. Opinion polls predict a close race.
Türkiye’s election in the earthquake zone is logistically questionable
The Turkish elections were marked by the devastating February 6 earthquake. The observer delegation said it had concerns about the logistical organization of the elections. To date, according to a member of the electoral authority, only 100,000 people have registered at a new place of residence. According to the government, 3.7 million people have left the region.
According to election observers, many parties also have serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, for example regarding available funds and balanced reporting in the public media. Much of the media in Turkey is under direct or indirect government control.
The opposition wants to mobilize hundreds of thousands of observers in the Turkish elections
Opposition parties have been warned, but still fear election fraud. Finally, the YSK (Yüksek Secim Kurulu) is composed of officials close to Erdoğan. After the defeat in the local elections, Erdogan completely replaced the YSK leadership. The six opposition parties aim to have at least election observers in every polling station. The deputy leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party, Onursal Adigüzel, told the newspaper Republic.
The federal government’s statement on the Turkish elections on March 16 also drew criticism. One employee of the Federal Foreign Ministry, the Bundestag, declared on its website, and received heavy criticism for the Erdoğan government’s blank check: “One would expect the polls not to be fair, but at least open.” However, the statement was later restricted. German Foreign Ministry said, upon request Frankfurter Rundschau communication. (ep/dpa)