Kamuran Tanhan, a member of parliament representing the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), has sharply criticized the Turkish government’s draft budget for 2026. In an interview with the Ajansa Welat news agency, he described the planned budget as a “war budget” that neither meets the social needs of the population nor contributes to a political solution to the Kurdish question.
According to government figures, the defense budget for the coming year will amount to around 2.15 trillion lira (equivalent to approximately 44.4 billion euros) – that is around 18 percent of the total budget. For Tanhan, this is a clear signal: “Despite the ongoing talks about a peace and democratization process, nothing has changed in terms of the state’s security-oriented logic.”
Further expansion of security spending instead of a peace budget
Tanhan recalled that Abdullah Öcalan’s call for peace last February had raised hopes for a political opening. Accordingly, it had been expected that budget planning would also be guided by this. “But instead, we are seeing the opposite: a further expansion of security spending, especially in Kurdistan. However, the planned budget is being allocated for war, not for the benefit of the people. The resolution process does not deserve this budget,” Tanhan said.
In Kurdish cities, public money is primarily invested in military posts, dams, and roads for security forces—not in education, health, or infrastructure for the population. The DEM Party is calling for a “budget for society” that is drawn up jointly with citizens, women, young people, and workers.
Hope for the opening of the Nusaybin-Qamishlo border crossing
In addition to the budget debate, Tanhan also spoke about the border crossing between the Mardin’s Nusaybin district on Turkish territory and Qamishlo city in northeastern Syria, which has been closed for years. According to Tanhan, reopening it would be “in the interests of the peace process, but also of great economic importance.”
According to its own statements, the DEM Party faction is in talks with the Ministry of Trade. Minister Ömer Bolat has announced that discussions are underway with the Syrian transitional government to open the border crossing. According to Tanhan, border trade could generate annual revenues of more than four billion euros and create jobs for up to 20,000 people.
“We believe that the border crossing will be opened in the foreseeable future,” said Tanhan. In addition to economic aspects, social exchange in the border region is also an important signal for dialogue and understanding, he added.
“We are taking our criticism of the budget to the streets”
Tanhan announced that the DEM Party would hold events, meetings, and demonstrations on the budget in various cities in the coming weeks. The aim is to gather the criticism and demands of the population and present them to parliament in the form of a report. “The current draft budget is not in the interests of the people,” said Tanhan. “All social forces must get involved and exert public pressure on the government. We call on everyone to come forward and raise their voices for a fair, democratic budget.”