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DEM Party demands co-chair system be recognized in Municipal Law
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Turkey /Elections & Politics

DEM Party demands co-chair system be recognized in Municipal Law

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The DEM Party's Democratic Local Governments Conference concluded by calling for an end to the appointment of trustees to municipalities, stating it's a state strategy to suppress self-governance.
  • The party demands that the co-chair system be legally recognized in the Municipal Law, emphasizing its importance for women's freedom and political representation.
  • The conference also highlighted the party's success in winning 78 municipalities in the recent local elections, despite facing unequal conditions and alleged manipulation.

Turkey's DEM Party has declared the appointment of trustees to municipalities a failed state strategy aimed at suppressing the Kurdish people's will for self-governance. The party's Democratic Local Governments Conference, held in Diyarbakฤฑr, issued a statement demanding the abolition of trustee appointments, which it described as a "hegemonic project" that has been defeated by the electorate.

The defeat of this strategy, which aimed to gain the consent of the society through municipalities and distance the society from the quest for freedom, is a political event that reflects the society's demand for change, beyond just the reclaiming of municipalities.

โ€” DEM Party StatementThe party described the election results as a rejection of the government's trustee policy.

The party asserted that its significant gains in the March 31 local elections, securing 78 municipalities and additional local governments through the "Kent UzlaลŸฤฑsฤฑ" (City Consensus) initiative, demonstrated the Kurdish people's commitment to self-determination. The statement framed the election results as a political event reflecting the public's desire for change, effectively consigning the trustee system "to the dustbin of history."

A central demand from the conference is the legal recognition of the co-chair system within the Municipal Law. The DEM Party views co-chairmanship as a crucial manifestation of its core principles, particularly regarding women's liberation. The party argues that implementing this system across all legal frameworks is a historical responsibility in the current phase of peace and democratic societal development.

Co-chairmanship is one of the strongest examples of the political realization of our reasons for existence. The beginning of the realization of freedom is the implementation of the women's liberation paradigm.

โ€” DEM Party StatementThe party emphasized the significance of the co-chair system for gender equality.

The party's statement also referenced the ongoing peace process and the efforts of Abdullah ร–calan, calling for the withdrawal of current trustees through administrative decisions and their eventual removal from the Municipal Law, as recommended by a parliamentary commission. The call for recognizing co-chairmanship is presented as a vital step towards strengthening local democracy and advancing gender equality.

Our call to the Grand National Assembly and the political institution is the recognition of the co-chair system in all laws concerning democratic politics and local democracy, especially in the Municipal Law.

โ€” DEM Party StatementThe party urged lawmakers to legally institutionalize the co-chair system.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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