Green Left Party demands election renewal in Antep following voting rights scandal

Green Left Party in Turkey has lodged a petition with the Supreme Election Board (YSK), calling for the cancellation and renewal of elections in Antep province, after their parliamentary candidates and voters were unjustly prevented from exercising their democratic right to vote.

Earlier, Yesil Sol Party Antep parliamentary candidates had filed a criminal complaint against those involved in the unauthorized inclusion of thousands of their voters as polling station officials by the Vatan Party, without their knowledge.

Antep parliamentary candidates of the Green Left Party highlighted the obstacles faced in allowing the will of the people in the city to be expressed through the ballot box.

A statement by the party officials said that “Patriotic Party officials who have access to voters' personal information, had assigned thousands of voters as polling station officials without their knowledge and consent. The individuals assigned to these roles as polling station officials were not notified of their duty. Therefore, the only condition for citizens to exercise their right to vote was to go to the election boards, personally collect this document by waiting in long queues, and then go to the designated schools mentioned in the document to cast their votes."

The statement emphasized that thousands of voters in Antep were subjected to significant "hardship" in exercising their fundamental citizenship right and noted that the Green Left Party had provided assistance to voters in meeting their legal and transportation needs. The statement said, "Despite this, it is evident that the voting rights of thousands of voters were seized through fraud in this historic election."

It was also highlighted that immediately after the election day, a criminal complaint was filed with the Antep Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against those responsible, specifically pointing out that this "fraud" was predominantly committed in areas with a high concentration of Green Left Party voters.