Calm Diyarbakır waits for Erdoğan ahead of referendum

The announcement was made by Diyarbakır’s pro-business circles that had already declared their “yes” vote for the referendum together with members of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), which is urging a boycott of the referendum that will be held on Sept. 12 to amend the Constitution.

All the boycott supporters and people who defend the idea of boycotting the referendum that Today’s Zaman talked to said that only a few “no” votes are expected in Diyarbakır and in other cities that are predominantly populated by Kurds.

Diyarbakır Bar Association chairman Mehmet Emin Aktar, who made the statement on behalf of civil society organizations, said they have concerns about the future of the country and that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should address these concerns in his speech on Friday.

The terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared that it will halt their attacks until Sept. 20 and if certain conditions are met, they can prolong the period of the de-escalation. The PKK demands that the Turkish government halt military operations in Kurdish areas, release pro-Kurdish politicians arrested during security forces operations and accept the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, as an interlocutor, while lowering the election threshold to below 10 percent.

The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) is demanding the same and says if there are any positive signs concerning these demands, they will reconsider their decision to boycott.

Speaking on behalf of the civil society organizations, Aktar said the clashes might start again after Sept. 20, which is a major concern and urged Erdoğan to use a discourse that will calm the situation. He said they have different views regarding the referendum but that they have the same approach for the solution of the Kurdish question.

“We want a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish question that can be reached through dialogue. After the referendum we will be meeting with all the related institutions, bodies, actors, representatives of the governments, the prime minister and the president,” he said.

The co-chairpersons of the DTK, banned politicians and former deputies Aysel Tuğluk and Ahmet Türk, were present at the press conference and while answering a question, Türk said Tuğluk is one of Öcalan’s lawyers and through her they will contact him, too.

Main expectations are from the ‘no’ front

Prior to Erdoğan’s visit to the calm city neither the boycott supporters nor the yes voters have any great expectations concerning Erdoğan’s visit, but some pundits say the “no” front is hoping that Erdoğan might say something that will increase the number of “no” votes in the western part of the country.

Erdoğan is not expected to unveil any new proposals during the upcoming Diyarbakır campaign speech nor will he deliver on a promise for general amnesty that has been debated recently. Erdoğan also recently downplayed these expectations and said that he will not say anything in Diyarbakır that he would not say in Ankara.

Şah İsmail Bedirhanoğlu, the chairman of the Southeastern Anatolia Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (GÜNSİAD), which already announced its support for the referendum, said there is no reason to expect anything extraordinary from Erdoğan’s visit.

“If he says that after the referendum they will continue their work for a brand new democratic and civilian constitution I think it will be enough. He is already saying that but I guess he will say it more strongly,” he said.

Kadri Alkan, a taxi driver who says he votes for the BDP also does not have high expectations about Erdoğan’s visit. According to him, if Erdoğan promised to lower the election threshold, the support from Diyarbakır for the referendum would be 100 percent, but it will not be the case. “There is no reason for Kurds to say ‘no.’ This package does not include anything directly dealing with the Kurds but we have suffered a lot from the coups. We do not forget how we were humiliated during the military regimes. Now, we are able to live in dignity although our demands are not met,” he told Today’s Zaman.

Abdurrah Kurt, Diyarbakır deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), also said in Diyarbakır there is not much discussion about the content of the package and that the population of Diyarbakır is not against the constitutional amendments.

“But the ‘no’ front in the west is hoping that Prime Minister Erdoğan will say something extraordinary on the Kurdish issue, so the ‘yes’ votes will decrease in the west,” he told Today’s Zaman.

When questioned, he said so far they had not heard of any pressure on people to boycott the referendum. “Of course there is neighborhood pressure on people to not go to the ballot boxes, especially in rural areas, but apart from that there are no other threats to it.”

Taxi driver Alkan supported this observation and said that two days ago boycott supporters and “yes” supporters in the city met at a traditional iftar dinner and there was no fight over the issue. “Anyway, the ones who have decided to boycott are not doing so very willingly, so if there is pressure to boycott, it could backfire. Kurds are not the same Kurds,” he said.