Participants of the Kurdish New Year celebrations in Diyarbakır.
Image: Friederike Böge
The Kurdish politician Serra Bucak is expected to be elected mayor of the Turkish city of Diyarbakır on Sunday. Her two predecessors are in custody. Are you threatened with the same fate?
EThere is no doubt that Kurdish politician Serra Bucak will be elected mayor of Diyarbakır next Sunday. In the provincial capital in southeastern Turkey, a large majority of residents support their Kurdish DEM party. However, it is not certain whether Bucak will also hold the office.
Since 2016, the Turkish government has replaced a number of elected Kurdish mayors and city councilors with state-appointed receivers who are close to the ruling AKP party. According to a survey, around 80 percent of residents see this as a form of disenfranchisement. The two mayors of Diyarbakır, elected in 2014 and 2019, are still in custody. They are accused of being close to the “Kurdistan Workers Party” (PKK), which the EU classifies as a terrorist group. The election commission found nothing wrong with her candidacy.