OSCE election observation leaders in Turkey complete multi-city visit

ANKARA, 29 October 2015 – The OSCE Special Co-ordinator for observation of the early parliamentary elections in Turkey, Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), and the Head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Delegation of observers, Margareta Cederfelt (MP, Sweden), visited the center, east and west of the country this week in preparation for the 1 November vote.

Sanchez Amor and Cederfelt held joint meetings in Istanbul and Ankara and visited Erzurum and Diyarbakir, respectively.

They met with senior representatives from the election administration, representatives of political parties, NGOs, analysts, journalists and long-term observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) in the various cities.

In Ankara today Sanchez Amor and Cederfelt also met with representatives of the Koza Ipek media group, whose trustees were replaced following a court ruling and whose offices were raided by police.

The meetings focused on issues previously noted by OSCE observers in their preliminary statement of findings on Turkey’s 7 June parliamentary elections, including freedom of expression, freedom of the media and security for all political parties.

“Candidates, journalists, election officials and activists – we have met brave men and dedicated women who are engaged in this process across the country, in both urban and rural areas. It is in their interest, and Turkey’s interest, that we will continue to follow up on all necessary issues in our observation and assessment of Sunday’s vote,” said Special Co-ordinator Sanchez Amor.

“Our meetings with Koza Ipek and journalists from a range of media outlets suggest that, once again, media freedom, media pluralism and the media playing field for candidates are areas to which we must pay close attention in characterizing the context of these elections,” he added.

Sanchez Amor also met with Erzurum Governor Ahmet Altiparmak and Cederfelt met with Diyarbakir Governor Huseyin Aksoy.

“In Diyarbakir and in the eastern part of Turkey, especially, the issue of security is at the front of people’s minds. As we approach the fourth election in less than two years, Turkish citizens could also be forgiven for some voter fatigue. However, I was pleased to hear that despite these factors, people are expected to vote in high numbers. We hope that people will feel empowered and safe to make their choice on election day,” said OSCE PA Delegation Head Cederfelt.

As Special Co-ordinator, Sanchez Amor leads the OSCE’s short-term observation mission to the elections. He will deliver the international observers’ preliminary post-election statement on 2 November in Ankara.

Cederfelt serves as head of approximately 40 members of parliament from nearly 20 OSCE participating States who will observe the vote.

The OSCE parliamentarians, who have begun arriving in Turkey, will participate in comprehensive briefings before deploying to polling stations in several regions for election day. They will work closely with observers from the OSCE/ODIHR and in co-ordination with colleagues from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

The mission will assess the elections against democratic commitments contained in the OSCE’s 1990 Copenhagen Document.

For more information about the OSCE PA's election monitoring work, click here.