DEM Party Mayors Demand Legal Reform for Mother-Tongue Services in Turkey

DEM Party Mayors Demand Legal Reform for Mother-Tongue Services in Turkey

Summary: DEM Party mayors are pushing for changes to Turkish law to allow municipalities to offer services in languages other than Turkish, as the party's co-chair demands concrete steps on democratization.

· 1 min read ·
turkeyhuman rights

Mayors from Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party (Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party) are calling for legal changes that would allow municipalities to provide services in mother tongues other than Turkish, according to a statement from the party's council [1]. The council said legal reform is needed and urged municipalities to continue their mother-language work through other means in the meantime, though the statement did not specify which laws it wants changed or what services are affected [1].

The push for language reform comes as DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları spoke at the party's weekly group meeting, asking why concrete steps are not being taken on matters under discussion [2]. The party has been engaged in talks with the YENİ Party on the Peace and Democratic Society Process, covering democratization steps, the economic crisis, and an alleged fund embezzlement scandal [3].

DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan previously stated that Kurds will not walk away from the negotiating table, saying "The future of the Kurds is at the table, in dialogue, and in democracy" [4]. The party's demands for language rights reform represent a significant test of Turkey's democratic institutions as the country navigates internal polarization and regional pressures.

Sources

DEM Party Mayors Push for Language Law Change #266118DEM Party co-chair demands action: 'Why are concrete steps not being taken?' #261585Turkey's DEM Party, YENİ Party Meet on Democracy and Peace Process #266107Kurds will not leave negotiation table, DEM Party co-chair says #261580

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