Turkey's local elections on Sunday were competitive and gave citizens plenty of options, but took place in a "highly polarized environment" in which more needs to be done to guarantee freedom of expression, European observers said today, quoted by Reuters, writes BTA.
The Turkish opposition held on for a landslide victory over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party in local elections, consolidating its position as a political force. It is the heaviest defeat for Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in more than two decades in power and may signal a change in the political landscape.
"Election day was generally calm and professionally organized, with a high voter turnout showing a strong commitment of citizens to democratic processes," said David Eray, head of the Council of Europe's observation mission, at a press conference in Ankara.< /p>
"We welcome the competitive nature of these elections, that voters had the opportunity to choose from many options, we can only note that Turkey's 2024 local elections took place in a highly polarized environment and were only partially favorable to local democracy", said Vladimir Prebilich, deputy head of the delegation.
Some of the Council of Europe's long-standing concerns about Turkey's electoral practices remain unresolved, Prebilich added.
"In line with the Council of Europe's principles on democracy, the rule of law and human rights, more must be done to ensure a political and media environment in which there is genuine freedom of expression and reasonable and good an enforced framework under the supervision of an independent judiciary," he said.
Critics say Erdogan's government has silenced dissent, undermined human rights and controlled the judiciary and other state institutions - something the ruling party denies.
Before the election, pro-government media covered Erdogan's daily rallies extensively, while coverage of the opposition's campaign was limited, the agency said.
The observation mission consisted of 26 observers from 16 European countries who followed voting procedures in over 140 polling stations, including the largest cities of Istanbul and Ankara.