The Kurdish movement sees the youth movement and the women's movement as pioneers in the fight for freedom. This can also be seen in the DEM party's candidacies for the local elections that will take place in Turkey on 31 March.

After a grassroots democratic process, 21-year-old Aşan Ateş has been selected to run for the office of co-mayor together with Agit Çetin in the municipality of Konakkuran (Dugnûk) in Malazgirt (Milazgir), in the province of Muş province. Ateş is the youngest candidate in Turkey and North Kurdistan. She said: "I was nominated by our party and our people as a candidate for the 31 March elections. We will win in the local elections. I am a young candidate who stands up to the patriarchy. Together with our people, we will assert our will and put an end to the trustee’s regime."

Aşan Ateş also spoke about the community's problems. In particular, the lack of sewage and water connection in many houses in the district is a major problem. Ateş said: "I am sure and believe that the local elections will be a historic turning point. Our victory will mean the complete collapse of the eight-year-old 'destruction' plan by the AKP-MHP alliance. Our people will give the clearest response to ten years of massacres and repression, and we will wake up on 1 April to a completely different political atmosphere. Our people have this awareness and will reflect it at the ballot box."

There are serious problems in our community

Agit Çetin, who shares the mayor's candidacy with Ateş, said: "I have already been elected as a municipal council member, and now I am running for the position of co-mayor. Our community has always been in the hands of the system until today. In the elections on 31 March, we want to create something new here and put an end to the system of compulsory administration. Our city has very serious problems. We have projects to solve the infrastructure problems. We will solve all our problems together with the people."