Electoral integrity under potential threat in Türkiye

Written declaration No. 772 | Doc. 15763 | 04 May 2023

Signatories:

Mr Paul GAVAN, Ireland, UEL ; Mr Jeremy CORBYN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Percy DOWNE, Canada ; Ms Tarja FILATOV, Finland, SOC ; Mr Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI, San Marino, SOC ; Ms Nicole HÖCHST, Germany, EC/DA ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr George KATROUGALOS, Greece, UEL ; Mr Kimmo KILJUNEN, Finland, SOC ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Sorin-Titus MUNCACIU, Romania, EC/DA ; Mr Bolesław PIECHA, Poland, EC/DA ; Mr Aleksander POCIEJ, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Éctor Jaime RAMÍREZ BARBA, Mexico ; Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Axel SCHÄFER, Germany, SOC ; Mr Juraj ŠELIGA, Slovak Republic, EPP/CD ; Mr Tommy SHEPPARD, United Kingdom, NR ; Ms Jódís SKÚLADÓTTIR, Iceland, UEL ; Mr Krzysztof ŚMISZEK, Poland, SOC ; Ms Petra STIENEN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Mr Andreas Sjalg UNNELAND, Norway, UEL ; Mr Kim VALENTIN, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Harald WEYEL, Germany, EC/DA

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

On 14 May 2023, Türkiye will hold the most important elections of the last decade. Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Türkiye plays an extremely important role in the global balance of power, and the upcoming elections will therefore have far-reaching implications for the country's domestic trajectory, its neighbourhood, and the world.

Given the common concerns regarding judicial independence in Türkiye and the recent legislative changes regarding the selection of judges in charge of electoral processes, we share the awareness expressed in international reports about upcoming elections in Türkiye and the potential threat to electoral integrity, a crucial element in ensuring trust in democratic institutions.

Therefore, we call on all official bodies responsible for the security of the elections, from the Supreme Electoral Council to the judges in the smallest towns, to guarantee that these elections are fairly and legally conducted. Nothing in the new election law adopted on 31 March 2022 should endanger the security of the elections.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will closely observe the elections to ensure that they are in line with Council of Europe standards and other international standards, as well as national legislation.