Releasing a statement on tomorrow's municipal elections in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey, the Co-Presidency of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council called on the people to vote for candidates who represent their democratic will.

The KCK statement on Saturday includes the following:

“It is known that on March 31, 2024, municipal elections will take place in North Kurdistan and Turkey. North Kurdistan’s citizens have an interest in these elections and hope to win by nominating democratic and patriotic candidates. We support the people’s strategy and hope they achieve their goals. We consider democratic politics to be fundamental. Thousands of martyrs were sacrificed by our people in the ongoing struggle to establish democratic governance. The most significant aspect of democratic politics and democracy overall is municipal governance. Local democratic governments are very important for our people who are fighting for democracy and freedom.

The Kurdish people have long fought for their freedom and existence against colonialism and genocide, hence general and municipal elections have always been important for showing their political attitude and will. The murderous colonialist Turkish state has been trying to destroy democratic politics and deviate it from its path for decades. It has utilized many forms of brutality, including massacring, expulsion, arrests, extortion, and other forms of repression, to achieve this goal. JITEM and Hizbulkontra killed thousands of patriots in cases which were left uninvestigated by state courts, labeling them ‘unsolved killings’. Nevertheless, they were unable to destroy the Kurdish population and their democratic political system. The democratic political arena persisted, refusing to submit or surrender its position. This is something that we value highly, and we would like to honorably remember all of the martyrs of democracy by paying particular tribute to two of their pioneers: Vedat Aydin ((a well-known Kurdish politician and human rights activist, who was detained in his home on July 5, 1991 and whose mutilated body was found dumped on the side of a country road two days later) and Apê Musa ((Musa Anter, one of the best-known Kurdish writers, who was often confronted with repression for his political and cultural activities. On September 20, 1992, he was murdered by a death squad of the Turkish state).

It is evident that the DEM Party candidates have ignited the interest and passion of the people in regional politics, in both Turkey and North Kurdistan. Our people in Turkey and Kurdistan are drawn to and supportive of the DEM Party because of its policies, programs, and nominated candidates. Starting the process of democratic reconstruction by appealing to the people after the general elections on May 14, produced significant and essential outcomes. Among this is the nomination of candidates by the people through the primary elections. The public recognized this as a just and democratic approach, and they were in favor of it. This is among the reasons for the enthusiasm and interest which has developed in Kurdistan. Once more, the DEM Party ensured the support of the people through employing the co-chairmanship system as a model and by appearing before the general population with co-chair candidates. The clear opposition of the people against attempts to defame the co-chairmanship and the philosophy of the free woman, clearly demonstrated this fact.

The biggest pressure on the democratic political system has come from the fascist AKP-MHP coalition. The AKP-MHP government did everything it could to commit acts of evil, being immersed in the Kurdish genocide. When pressure, extortion, threats, arrest, and assassination fail, it has turned to a variety of shady tactics, like employing unique military techniques to bring about the disintegration of the people and coerce their submission. The height of these problems is the appointment of trustees.

The trustees emerge from the politics of the Kurdish genocide. It is the negation and eradication of the Kurdish people’s existence, as well as the seizure of their will. Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP-MHP government have demonstrated their denialist nature and their position as the largest enemy of the Kurdish people by assigning trustees to the cities of Kurdistan. This reality has been thoroughly comprehended and embraced by our people. This is declared by the determined attitude that developed in Newroz. It’s certain that the local elections scheduled on March 31 will likewise represent this mindset.

We would like draw attention to two points in particular, which we believe are important. First of all, the current setting for these elections is unequivocally undemocratic. The public and democratic institutions are under unprecedented pressure. Kurdistan is now being treated as a headquarters of the various state institutions, and various forms of coercion and deception are being used to keep the DEM Party candidates from winning. Upon their arrival in Kurdish cities, hundreds of thousands of military personnel, law enforcement officers, and government employees registered to vote. In light of the circumstances surrounding the elections, voters ought to participate more actively in the polls to discredit schemes, conspiracies, and deceptions. Our people should not be tricked into casting a single vote for the AKP-MHP and its allies. Considering voting for a candidate other than the ones chosen by the people is untenable because it puts the future of our entire people at stake, leaving them to face the atrocities committed against them in the past. Everyone should be persuaded, our people must not be hesitant, and we should all vote in one voice during the elections. Ballot boxes and votes must be safeguarded by both the people and those in authority. Through coercion, fraud, plot, and machinations, the AKP-MHP and their allies hope to normalize and legitimize the appointment of trustees by gaining control of the municipalities in Kurdistan. The people of North Kurdistan must not allow this to happen.

Second, there needs to be an intense reaction against those who have betrayed. The likes of JITEM, groups which have collaborated with them, killed innocent people, and sold their souls to the enemy in the name of money and power, should not be given the opportunity to deceive our people. Never should a single Kurd be attracted to such devious criminals. These groups, posing as Kurds, are nothing more than homicidal mobs infested with the state’s venom. They have infiltrated our people and are being employed to hinder the success of the freedom movement. It is imperative that our people, who are well aware of and familiar with these groups, respond to them collectively and with the required strength.

With this hope and belief, we encourage our people to vote strongly on March 31st and wish the democratic candidates and our people the best of luck.”