Monday, July 23, 2007

POST-ELECTION NOTES

"I dislike death, however, there are some things I dislike more than death. Therefore, there are times when I will not avoid danger."
~ Mencius


First of all, there's a finalized list of the Thousand Hopes (DTP) candidates at Özgür Gündem:


1- Diyarbakır: GÜLTAN KIŞANAK
2- Diyarbakır: AKIN BİRDAL
3- Diyarbakır: AYSEL TUĞLUK
4- Diyarbakır: SELAHATTİN DEMİRTAŞ
5- Batman: AYLA AKAT ATA
6- Batman: BENGİ YILDIZ
7- Mardin: AHMET TÜRK
8- Mardin: EMİNE AYNA
9- Şırnak: SEVAHİR BAYINDIR
10- Şırnak: HASİP KAPLAN
11- İstanbul 1. Bölge MEHMET UFUK URAS
12- İstanbul 3. Bölge SEBAHAT TUNCEL
13- Hakkari: HAMİT GEYLANİ
14- Hakkari: SABAHATTİN SUĞVACI
15- Muş: SIRRI SAKİK
16- Muş: M.NURİ YAMAN
17- Van: FATMA KURTULAN
18- Van: ÖZDAL ÜÇER
19- Dersim: ŞERAFETTİN HALİS
20- Bitlis: MEHMET NEZİR KARABAŞ
21- Siirt: OSMAN ÖZÇELİK
22- Urfa: İBRAHİM BİNİCİ
23- Iğdır: PERVİN BULDAN


It looks like we are still waiting to see what happens with the candidate from Adana, but for the time being some 13,000 votes are missing, as in not accounted for in the voting records. This is most likely the result of corruption.

Official results are supposed to be broadcast on 27 July.

There was a good summary of the elections on a map at Turkish NTV/MSNBC.

Shiraz Socialist has a well-balanced post on the elections. I don’t find too many that look at it in a more equitable way. Most on the extreme right-wing, fascist end of the spectrum in the US are hand-wringing over the Islamist thing. They trotted out Soner Çağaptay (of the neocon WINEP and ME Forum) today, on NPR, and he was trying to explain that there was a split in Turkey between Islamists vs Secularists, but it’s more than a split; it’s a crevasse of epic proportions.

One of the more interesting of Çağaptay's flights of fantasies was the suggestion that DTP renounce violence. I'm still trying to figure out how DTP can renounce what it has never engaged in.

I would point out that the ability of DTP to “beat off its previous excluded status”--to quote Voltaire at Shiraz Socialist--is incredible and is a measure of the determination of everyone involved with the campaigning. AKP has not communicated with DTP since the Amed Serhildan in March 2006. DTP politicians have suffered death threats and constant “legal” harassment, have been subjected to the state’s black operations–as has the entire Kurdish population–and finally, has had to function under conditions of “State of Emergency” or OHAL in three Kurdish areas.

If you recall the dirty war of the 1990s, you will know that OHAL, Turkey’s special version of martial law for the Kurdish people, was the period in which the most brutal human rights abuses took place. OHAL was finally lifted in 2002, but now it’s back.

As far as I’m concerned, DTP’s achievement in this election was nothing less than heroic.

Speaking of OHAL, we shouldn't forget that Turkey is planning to increase the number of special commandos to fight the PKK, and these were the same ones who were responsible for most of the atrocities against the Kurdish people in the 1990s. The possibility exists that this will happen again.

I'm not the only one concerned about the future, in spite of the achievement of DTP. Berxwedan at DozaMe has his concerns, too.

Finally, the Vineyard Saker blog has posted an interview with me in order to introduce some of his readers to the Kurdish situation and to help counter the recent propaganda aimed against the Kurdish people and their freedom movement by people like, you know, Soner Çağaptay.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to say, I'm am absolutley over-joyed that there will finally be some representation for the Kurds in parliament. It was indeed a successful campaign strategy to run as independents. And I also have to say that I ma happy that Zana will not be in that group. I really do want a dialogue between the groups here in Turkey, and I think that is takes diplomacy on both sides, as we all know there is no use in blaming one side or the other now - we must start to look to the future and figure out how to do that. And I think that these 23 independents will play a crucial role in the parliament. AKP will have tougher opposition, and well they will need the independents, so if they are clever they will be able to strike a deal with the AKP. Let's hope this will give them some power - they are still the minority - in the new parliament. So, congratulations to the DTP I say! And may the good times roll.

Mizgîn said...

And the first time that they strike a deal with AKP and AKP stabs them in the back, then it will be time to let AKP stew in its own miserable juices. . . until the next election.

But AKP gets along very well with CHP, especially when it comes to cutting Kurds out of the political process. I mean, they were the two who cooked up the ballot change in an attempt to keep independents (i.e. Kurds) out of the parliament in the first place.

The games are just beginning.

Anonymous said...

Fair enough, but to be honest I think it's a bit far fetched to say they get on "well"... we saw what happened when Gul thought he'd be the next president, which might still happen - MHP may lend their support also to AKP. Anyway, I'm trying to keep an optimistic mind on the issue, someone has to! There is a lot of historical distrust and I can respect that, but at the same time, indivisuals can make things work. So, I'm hoping that this new force in parliament will find a way to strike a legitimate deal, perhaps of the legislative type. We'll see, and yes the games have begun for sure!

Mizgîn said...

When it comes to Kurds, every Turkish party is the best friend of the other and their place on the political spectrum is of no importance whatsoever.

They are united amongst themselves against the Kurdish people.