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Political parties hopeful about solution to ID number requirement
With the debate increasing over the Supreme Election Board (YSK) requirement, representatives of political parties met with YSK head Muammer Aydın on Wednesday. Çetinkaya, AK Party parliamentary group deputy chairman Bekir Bozdağ, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy Chairman Faruk Bal, Republican People’s Party (CHP) parliamentary group deputy chairman Hakkı Süha Okay and Democratic Society Party (DTP) deputy from Muş Sırrı Sakık met with Aydın to say they want the YSK to revise its recent decision on ID numbers.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, Çetinkaya said they told Aydın that the problems which arose following the YSK decision should be resolved. Recalling that an obligation to have an ID number on identity cards is mentioned in Article 87 of Law No. 298, Çetinkaya said ID numbers are written on the ballots sent to voters by the YSK and that citizens should be able to vote by only showing their identity cards.
Hundreds line up for ID change to preserve voting eligibility Residents of Konya began lining up yesterday as early as 4 a.m. to change their identification cards in order to be able to vote in the upcoming local elections. In Konya’s populous Selçuklu district, citizens began to gather at 4 a.m. in front of the identification registration office building, and by 6:30 a.m. the line was over 500 meters long, extending even further by the time the office opened for business. Officials at the office told the Anatolia news agency that it was significant that so many citizens cared about defending their right to vote. Regardless, they said it would be difficult to process so many ID change requests in time for the elections, urging the YSK to reconsider its decision. On Monday they processed 675 such requests and another 950 on Tuesday. “For those who are unable to have their documents processed by the end of the work day, we give them a number for the next day. All of our staff is working nonstop to try and process everyone’s application,” officials said. İstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires |
In his view, citizens will not be deprived of their right to vote, granted by the Constitution. Noting that all political parties are of the same opinion on the issue, he said the YSK is going to gather again on Wednesday evening and discuss the issues raised. “If our proposal is not accepted, we believe copies of the identity registry file or birth certificate, which are easier to obtain; green cards, which are special cards that allow the poor to receive medical treatment for free; or taxpayer identification cards, which are all accepted as official documents and have ID numbers on them, should be sufficient to vote. The head of the YSK listened to us carefully and took notes. We expect a decision to be made with regard to removing problems affecting our citizens’ right to vote,” said Çetinkaya.
President Abdullah Gül also met with Aydın on Wednesday to evaluate the recent confusion over the ID number requirement.
Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan said he respects the YSK, which has pointed to a legal obligation as the basis for its decision, but notes that it is also of great importance to eliminate obstacles before citizens who want to vote. The Human Rights Association (İHD) also submitted a petition to the YSK yesterday for a change to its requirement.
The YSK recently sent a circular to city governors instructing them to inform the public about the requirements for voting in the elections. Among the requisites is a national identification number on the voter’s identity card. ID cards issued before 2001 do not carry the number, which could mean that up to 5 million registered voters will be denied their voting privileges in the upcoming elections if they fail to have an identification number added to their cards before election day. After the YSK announced that voters should have identification numbers written on their identity cards to be able to vote in the March 29 local elections, thousands flocked to offices around the country to have identification numbers added to their identity cards. A number of political affiliations and civil society groups criticized the decision, saying that the board had failed to adequately inform the public about the requirement.
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