26/10/2015 Election observation
A 24-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), will travel to Turkey from 30 October to 2 November to observe the conduct of the early parliamentary elections, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The delegation will meet, in particular, representatives of the main political parties running in the elections, the Chairman of the Supreme Board of Elections, the Radio and Television Supreme Council, as well as representatives of the media and civil society, before observing the voting on 1 November.
A member of the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe's group of independent legal experts – will provide legal support during the visit.
In a declaration dated 7 October, the PACE pre-electoral delegation stressed that “the early election campaign was conducted in a dramatically changed environment, compared to the June 7 elections”, with “no single party majority in parliament and failed attempts to form a coalition, and the suspension of the peace process”, these developments having led to further polarization of, and tensions in the country. The delegation expected all necessary steps to be taken “to guarantee security conditions”. It also expressed concern about the situation of the media and “instances of repeated intimidation, pressure and physical attacks against journalists and media groups”.
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A joint press conference is scheduled on Monday 2 November at 2 pm, at the Hotel Hilton, Tahran Caddesi No 12, Ankara (Kavaklidere Room).
Contact: Nathalie Bargellini, PACE Communication Division
mobile: +33 6 65 40 32 82 ; local mobile (from 30 October) : +90 545 842 1548
e-mail: [email protected]