The 2023 Parliament Elections in Türkiye and the Kurdish Question
Centre for West Asian Studies , Jawaharlal Nehru University , India
Abstract
The Kurdish Question is central to Türkiye's domestic politics and political alignment. The paper examines the role of the Kurdish electorate in the 2023 parliamentary and presidential elections in Türkiye and analyzes the results. This paper locates the Kurdish Question within the larger electoral trajectory of the country by exploring the historical political participation of the Kurds. The paper discusses the 2023 elections that marked a significant flashpoint in the country's electoral trajectory with the notable decline in electoral support of the pro-Kurdish parties. By looking at the geographical and ideological diversity of the Kurdish voters, the paper elucidates on shifting political alliances and their respective engagement with national politics. Furthermore, it argues that the electoral mobility of Türkiye supports the instrumentalisation of the Kurdish Question, where electoral strategies take importance over more significant policy issues. Without the right-based approach to political inclusion, Türkiye's engagement with its Kurdish population will likely depend on short-term political calculations rather than long-term democratic integration.
Highlights
Introduction: The Kurdish Question remains vital to Türkiye’s domestic and foreign policies. Since the formation of the Republic of Türkiye in 1923, the Kurdish Que...
The Electoral Process: Since the founding of the Republic in 1923, Türkiye has experienced various transformations in its electoral system, political parties, and electoral ...
Kurds in Turkish Politics: During the Ottoman Empire, the Kurdish population had their cultural and linguistic rights while being a part of a larger political structure(Jaber 1...
Kurdish Electorate: The Kurdish electorate in Türkiye is not monolithic. Their voting preferences are significantly influenced by their ethnicity. It is essential to dist...
The 2023 Elections : On 14 May 2023, simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections took place. Unlike the 2014 and 2018 elections, there were no Kurdish candidates...
Presidential Election: During the presidential elections, the voter turnout in Kurdish provinces remained lower than the national average in both rounds. The first-round tur...
Parliamentary Election : The vote share of HDP has declined since the 2018 election (Table 7). It was the third party with an 11.70 per cent vote share and got 67 seats. Howev...
Conclusion : The 2023 elections underscored the Kurdish Question's enduring importance in the Türkiye electoral process. Marked by several continuities and depart...