ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) female candidates seem to have made big gains in Turkey’s local elections on Sunday although their party performed poorly, according to unofficial initial results.
“I thank all our people for going to polls with all their heart despite all the fraud,” tweeted Bedia Ozgokce Ertan, a potential female winner from the HDP, on Monday.
Ertan is one of the several dozen of female candidates who the HDP fielded for the election. The party fielded more female candidates than other parties, according to KADER Foundation, an organization for protecting female candidates in the country.
Half of HDP’s candidates were women while the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s female candidates made up 33 percent of the list. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) only ran 5.2 percent female candidates.
HDP lost four key provinces in predominately-Kurdish provinces, according to unofficial results released by state-owned Anadolu Agency (AA).
Most of the votes of the party have reportedly gone to its main rival the AKP, giving a sort of relief to the AKP following the potentially big losses in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.
The HDP has won three metropolitan municipalities, five cities, 50 counties and 12 towns, according to the AA figures. It won more than 100 in 2014 election.
Likewise, the HDP fielded a large number of female candidates in the parliamentary election in June — about 25 of their 67 seats were won by women.
HDP won in five towns in Kurdish Mardin province — all of whom were female.
HDP does not seem happy about the results in general, claiming that the ruling AKP has committed fraud in those areas the party has lost, typically in Sirnak which has been a key battlefield for Turkish fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The HDP has held the province bordering the Kurdistan Region for years.
As per HDP rules, when a female candidate wins she will have a male co-chair, but official work will be run under the winner’s signature. The same is true when a male wins.