A number of provincial and district co-mayors of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) attended a press briefing held in Amed (tr: Diyarbakır) province under the slogan “We stand by our will and raise our voice against trusteeship practices.”
‘We have implemented important projects in local governments’
Speaking at the gathering in front of Amed Metropolitan Municipality, DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan stated that they had conducted a productive discussion with the co-mayors. He noted that they have had experience in local governance since 1999 and have implemented democratic, transparent, participatory, women’s libertarian, and environmentally friendly projects, although this experience was interrupted at various times.
According to Bakırhan, the meeting with the co-mayors of the party addressed the shortcomings and what needs to be done for local governments to take a stronger role in the field with more robust projects in the coming period.
‘People’s will has been usurped for three terms’
Referring to the usurpation of municipalities through government-appointed trustees, Bakırhan recalled that the people’s will has been usurped for three terms since 2016. He stated that municipalities have been administered unlawfully and described the usurpation of municipalities as “a disgrace for the country.”
He said that in the most recent elections, the people voted for their party and demonstrated their stance against trustees, calling for an end to these practices.
‘Municipalities must be returned to people’s elected representatives’
Bakırhan stressed that municipalities should be returned to the people’s elected representatives as the Peace and Democratic Society Process continues. He called for the 13 dismissed co-mayors to be reinstated, and for legal arrangements to be made for this purpose.
Bakırhan said that steps to be taken by the new Minister of Interior on this matter could contribute to the process. He suggested that concrete steps could be taken during the month of Ramadan.
‘Discrimination faced by local governments must end’
The DEM Party Co-Chair pointed out that their municipalities continue their work despite bureaucratic obstacles and called for an end to the discrimination faced by local governments. He emphasized that everyone should contribute to implementing projects that will improve people’s daily lives.
He added that better public services could be provided in a process free from arrests, detentions, and trusteeship practices, noting that shortcomings could be addressed collectively.
‘Reinstating the mayors could be one of the first and most important steps’
Responding to journalists’ questions, Bakırhan said that the beginning of a new phase has been declared by Devlet Bahçeli, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Abdullah Öcalan.
Reiterating that trusteeship practices must end for this new threshold to succeed, Bakırhan said that the public wants to see concrete steps rather than words. He added that reinstating the dismissed co-mayors could be one of the first and most important steps of the new process.
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