Red Party MP Hege Bae Nyholt asked the Norwegian government to protest against the undermining of democracy in the Kurdish areas by deposing legally elected mayors and replacing them with trustees.
Storting representative for the Norwegian Rødt (Red Party), Hege Bae Nyholt, was an observer in the city of Mardin during the local elections in Turkey in March 2024.
After the Turkish government's decision to remove four mayors and replace them with trustees, Nyholt asked Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide the following questions: "In March 2024, local elections were held in Turkey. The questioner participated as an international observer in the Kurdish areas, Mardin province, invited by the DEM party.
The election was won by the Kurdish parties in the area. Turkish authorities have now deposed the mayors of the Esenyurt district in Istanbul, Mardin, Batman and Halfeti, and have now installed their own representatives.
The ruling authorities have accused them of having ties to the PKK, which the DEM and CHP parties have condemned as an attack on democracy. This is not the first time that Turkish authorities have deposed and/or imprisoned democratically elected representatives from Kurdish parties. Does the Norwegian government intend to protest against the undermining of democracy in the Kurdish areas by deposing legally elected mayors and replacing them with trustees?"
