'A Black Mark in Our History of Democracy and Law'

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Forty-nine bar associations have released a statement on the Supreme Election Council (YSK) verdict for the annulment of the elections for the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

The YSK ruled that there were irregularities regarding the ballot box councils and the repeat elections shall be held on June 23.

"All experiences were put aside"

The bar associations deemed the verdict "unacceptable":

"While the YSK rejected the similar claims of absolute unlawfulness regarding the establishment of ballot box councils in the district of Mustafa Kemal Paşa in Bursa on the ground that the members of election councils were determined on March 2, 2019, it is impossible to accept legally or conscientiously that it canceled another election with this reason.

"With this verdict, the experiences that were gained throughout our country's long and troublous history of democracy, the jurisprudence, the practices and principle decisions that were established through legal regulations and the practices by the election councils have been disregarded.

"However, all of these are for the elections to be held healthily and the will of the nation / the voter to be reflected on the ballot box.

"But after all these experiences were put aside by the YSK verdict, the voters' doubts and concerns regarding the elections will increase and ballot box council chairpersons and members will be seen as potential criminals."

"Democracy is possible with respecting the results"

"Unfortunately, this verdict which was made by disregarding our democratic experience, democratic culture and all the practices that were established throughout the years will be a black mark in our history.

"Our aim with this statement that we made on a principal basis is to adopt and defend the democracy based on law and justice against the mentality that accepts unlawfulness.

"We wish this period to conclude with common sense and in accordance with the democratic rules across the country."

The bar associations at the following provinces signed the declaration: Adana, Adıyaman, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Artvin, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bartın, Batman, Bilecik, Bolu, Burdur Bursa, Çanakkale, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Düzce, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Hatay, Isparta, İstanbul, İzmir, Kastamonu, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Malatya, Manisa, Mersin, Muğla, Muş, Niğde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Samsun, Siirt, Sinop, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Tekirdağ, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Yalova, Zonguldak, Van. (AÖ/VK)