Invited by the Turkish authorities to observe the local elections held throughout the country on 31 March, the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities presented its preliminary findings during a press conference that took place in Ankara on 1 April.
“Election Day was, overall, calm and organised in a professional manner, with a high turnout [78.5%] showing a strong commitment [on the part] of citizens to democratic processes”, stated David Eray (EPP/CCE) of Switzerland, who headed up the delegation of 26 Congress observers, who were divided into 11 teams.
Slovenian socialist Vladimir Prebilič, deputy head of the mission, believes, “The election results showed that the alternation in power between political parties is possible through the expression of the will of the people and their commitment to local representative democracy”.
However, David Eray lamented that the Turkish authorities had interfered in the composition of the delegation by refusing the accreditation of one of its members.
He also notes that counting procedures were “transparent [overall]” but “in some instances rushed” due to the breaking of the Ramadan fast and mukhtar [district chief] candidates’ “undue interference” in the administration of the elections.
Another major recurring concern flagged by the head of the delegation is the highly polarised political and media environment, which is not conducive to “genuine freedom of expression” and the implementation of a “reasonable [...] framework overseen by an independent judiciary”.
“The public broadcast media did not meet its legal obligation to provide impartial coverage of the campaign and equal opportunities for all political parties”, emphasised Mr Eray.
A report on the observation of these elections—accompanied by a recommendation—will be submitted at the plenary session of the Congress in October 2024. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)