The two election observers that the Norwegian Council for the Rights of the Kurds (RKR) has sent to the south-eastern parts of Turkey report on the one hand that the elections, particularly in rural areas, were seriously rigged, on the other that despite the seemingly organised campaigns to prevent people from voting for the independent Kurdish candidates, the election result still gave the Kurds a 24-strong group of MPs. (08-AUG-07)
Based on material received from RKR, this article has been translated and written by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz. Photo from Uzunziyaret, Kurdistan Turkey: RKR / Vidar Birkeland.
To read RKR´s full report and other material, all in Norwegian, click here.
The election result may forewarn a new era in Kurdish politics within Turkey. From now on, with such a strong group in parliament, it will be hard to ignore, or even deny the existence of, the Kurdish minority. In Diyarbakir, the capital of Turkish Kurdistan, the atmosphere was electric when the first prognoses came.
-If you don´t leave …
Cars were hooting endlessly, people were dancing in the streets in front of the DTP headquarters where Leyla Zana, right, and many of the forthcoming Kurdish women MPs spoke to the excited audience. The two Norwegian election observers Vidar Birkeland and Per Thorsdalen were also interviewed by the TV journalist Havin Güneser. One of the criticisable practises the two observed happened at the voting station Uzunziyaret, left, where the election 
secretary did the ticking on the ´right´ party for the voters, folded the ballot, put it in the envelope and put the envelope in the ballot box. The whole procedure took place without the voter touching his or her own vote even once. The voters were left without any influence whatsoever on what should have been their own choice. When the RKR representatives addressed the issue requesting an explanation, they were threatened with violence if they did not leave the election station immediately. Birkeland and Thorsdalen also observed several unsealed ballot boxes, and some election stations closing several hours before the end of the announced opening hours.
The election result
 has sent to the south-eastern parts of Republic of Turkey report on the one hand that the elections, particularly in rural areas, were seriously rigged, on the other that despite the seemingly organised campaigns to prevent people from voting for the independent Kurdish candidates, the election result still gave the Kurds a 24-strong group of MPs. (08-AUG-07)
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