A team of 125 independent international observers who were present during the local elections in North Kurdistan on March 31 have alleged that transferred voters significantly impacted the election results.
The observers have called for the elections to be conducted again due to irregularities they witnessed.
The observers, who monitored polling stations in various cities such as Idir, Agiri, Mush, Van, and others, reported that they faced obstacles from Turkish authorities during their monitoring efforts.
They highlighted that the elections were conducted amid heavy military and police presence, with almost 46,901 soldiers and police personnel being registered as voters and casting their votes.
The observers expressed concerns over the transfer of voters to regions where the competition between political parties – particularly the DEM Party and the AKP – was close.
They indicated that the influence of transferred voters varied across regions, with some areas seeing up to 50 percent of the votes potentially affected.
According to the observers, attempts to access voter lists for verification were frequently obstructed by authorities, hampering their ability to fully document the extent of electoral manipulation. They disclosed that a significant number of transferred voters were identified in specific areas like Pasur, Idir, Colemerg, and Mardin.
In light of their findings, the international observers concluded that the transfer of voters was orchestrated and widespread, leading them to call for a redo of the election to ensure fairness and accuracy.
