European Observers: Ruling And Ruling Parties Have Gained An Unfair Advantage

The international election observation delegation, made up of observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), held a press conference today after the presidential and parliamentary elections of the 20th eighth term held yesterday.

OSCE Short-Term Monitoring Mission Leader Michael Georg Link, PACE Delegation Chairman Frank Schwabe, OSCE PA Chairman Farah Karimi and the Head of the Monitoring Mission OSCE constituency Ambassador Jan Petersen attended the meeting held at a hotel in Ankara.

At the meeting where the preliminary findings prepared by the OSCE and the comments of the delegations were transmitted, Link, who began his speech by expressing his condolences for those who lost their lives in the earthquakes of February 6, said that the process was difficult due to the earthquakes

“THE GOVERNMENT HAS AN UNFORGETTABLE ADVANTAGE”

Link continued:

* “To the observers, we are all affected by the high turnout in these elections. Voters chose between real political alternatives and turnout was high, but the incumbent and ruling parties gained an unfair advantage, including through skewed media coverage. Continued restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association, and expression prevented some opposition parties and politicians from participating. However, we found that the campaign was competitive and largely free for most of the candidates, but was characterized by intense polarization and marred by examples of harsh rhetoric, abuse of administrative resources, and the pressure and intimidation faced by the opposition party in particular.

“THE MEASURES PROVIDED FOR THE CITIZENS AFFECTED BY THE EARTHQUAKE ARE LIMITED”

* The electoral administration technically managed the elections efficiently. But there were concerns about its independence, as well as its lack of transparency and communication. The measures planned to facilitate the registration and voting of citizens affected by the earthquake were limited, which put an additional burden on the exercise of their right to vote by voters. Election day was generally well organized and was evaluated positively by all observers. However, incomplete procedures were observed, particularly during voting and counting.

* It is important to note that, in practice, freedom of assembly, association and expression is restricted by law and the independence of the judiciary remains a concern. While it is positive that the longstanding recommendation to lower the electoral threshold for parliament has been addressed, we would like to point out that many other important recommendations have not been addressed.

* The selection was competitive, but restrictions prevailed. Because the criminalization of certain political forces, including the arrest of some opposition politicians, prevented full political pluralism. For this reason, we affirm that political interference in the process is not in line with Turkey’s international commitments.”

SCHWABE: TURKISH DEMOCRACY IS STILL ALIVE

Speaking after Link, PACE delegation chair Schwabe stated that they followed the election with 39 short-term observers. Stating that they will continue their work in the second round of the presidential elections, Schwabe said that they met with political parties, civil society representatives and representatives of the media as part of their duties. Noting that they also met with the Supreme Electoral Board (YSK), but were unable to communicate at the level they wanted, Schwabe made the following assessments:

* “We were very impressed with the high turnout rate in this election. Turkish democracy lives on. I would say that Turkish democracy is incredibly resilient. The high participation in the elections demonstrates this. However, the basic principles necessary for a democratic election are not met. Political and social actors are in prison despite the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Press freedom is severely restricted and a climate of self-censorship prevails.

* Therefore, Türkiye is far from fair election campaign conditions. I want to highlight this because some people say that this has to do with the elections and the electoral campaign. We have the decisions of the ECtHR and here I really appeal to the authorities of the country; We will demand the release of names like Osman Kavala and Selahattin Demirtaş, who are in prison and that is a very clear decision of the European Court of Human Rights. Because this has something to do with the democratic constitution and the situation in the country, and the Turkish government should be reminded of the recommendations of the Venice Commission, GRECO and the Council of Europe.

* We have spoken before about freedom of the press. During election campaign periods, he would turn on the television and get an impression, even if he didn’t understand the language. When I opened TRT Haber, I really got the impression that the current president has been seen a lot on TV. We had many meetings with RTÜK before the elections. This situation brings with it a kind of self-censorship in the country.”

“THE ELECTION WAS AN ELECTION WHERE POWER PARTIES OBTAINED UNFAIR ADVANTAGES”

Karimi from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said:

* “Unfortunately, the Turkish government did not accredit our two parliamentarians, who were expected to attend from Sweden and Denmark. We respect a country’s right to control access to polling stations. It is important that the invitation of our parliament to observe the elections does not affect the composition of the observation missions.

* Although alternatives were presented to the Turkish people, the election was an election in which the incumbent president and the ruling parties gained unfair advantages. We don’t know the final results yet, but in the event of a presidential runoff, we will be very careful to ensure a level playing field in our observations.

* Throughout our mission, we will closely monitor every step of the Election Day process, from opening the polls to voting and counting. In the polling stations we visited, there was significant voter turnout, which demonstrates the strong democratic spirit of the Turkish people.

* The underrepresentation of women in politics is an important issue that needs to be addressed. We invite the next government and parliament to take concrete measures to guarantee the equal participation of women in political life. This could include the enactment of laws that guarantee the equality of male and female candidates on electoral lists.

“THE RELATIVELY LOW ELECTORAL PARTICIPATION IS APPRECIATED IN THE REGIONS AFFECTED BY THE EARTHQUAKE”

* The relatively low turnout in earthquake-affected areas is concerning, indicating that many people will not be able to vote if the election goes to a runoff. Concrete steps must be taken to ensure that everyone can exercise their right to vote.”

“CONCERNS ARE NOT SOLVED DURING THE ELECTION PERIOD”

Stating that they have been carrying out their activities since the end of March, the Head of the OSCE Election Observation Mission, Ambassador Petersen, made the following assessments:

* “Voters had the opportunity to choose between real political alternatives. The campaign period was largely peaceful, and most candidates campaigned freely. The electoral administration under the YSK also functioned effectively. This was no small feat, given the hardships caused by the devastating earthquakes that hit the country just a few months ago.

* I just talked about the electoral administration; In addition to the effectiveness of the administration, concerns are raised about a lack of transparency, insufficient communication and the independence of the work.

* Pressure on opposition politicians and parties was another concern, and these pressures were a serious obstacle to their participation in the elections. The Green Left Party came under pressure in this process.

* Long-standing concerns about respect for the freedoms of assembly, association and expression, which are the basic elements of democracy, were not resolved during the electoral period. Although the constitution guarantees the independence of the judiciary, many people with whom we have spoken from a wide segment of society continue to express their concerns on this issue.

“WE OBSERVE THAT IT FAILED TO COMPLY WITH THE OBLIGATION TO BE OBJECTIVE”

* Although guaranteed by the Constitution, there are restrictions on freedom of the press and of expression. The criminalization of disinformation, the frequent blocking of websites, the removal of online content, and the arrests of journalists further weakened freedom of expression. Unfortunately, we also observed that public broadcasting clearly highlighted the ruling parties and candidates during the campaign and failed in its constitutional obligation to remain neutral. In the broadcasts of the national television channels, which we observed in the scope of our observations, there was also a clear bias against the government parties.

* In general, election day passed peacefully. While the process was generally well organized, observers reported that measures such as sealing ballot boxes and verifying voter identity were not always implemented. In addition, in some polling stations the secrecy of the votes could not be fully guaranteed. It was common for families to vote together and in groups. Unfortunately, more than half of the polling stations were not fully accessible to people with disabilities. PHOENIX