Özet:

Looking at the results of the general and local elections held in the last fifteen years, it is seen that the majority of Kurdish voters have been consolidated around two parties (AK Party/Justice and Development Party and HDP/People’s Democratic Party). There was no significant change in the total political preferences of Kurdish voters in the elections held on March 31, 2019, as well. However, there was a regional differentiation in the preference for both parties. AK Party, while increasing its votes in the Kurdish region, incurred the loss of vote in the west of Turkey. HDP, on the contrary, while losing votes in the Kurdish region, caused a heavy defeat to Cumhur Alliance through persuading Kurdish voters living in big cities in the west of Turkey to vote for CHP (Republican People’s Party) candidates. The main reason for the regional shifts in Kurdish voters’ preferences is the resentment and indignation accrued against both parties in Kurdish voters. Kurdish voters discomforted by security, repressive, statist and nationalist policies followed by AK Party for a long time resorted to the punishment of AK Party in the west of Turkey. AK party, deprived of a substantial part of Kurdish voters’ support, lost many of the most important metropolitan municipalities in Turkey. Kurdish voters declined to offer the expected support to the HDP in the region, mainly due to the incidents in the ditches-barricades process, the lack of service provided by the HDP municipalities, and the lack of attention given to the profile of the candidates. Consequently, HDP lost nearly one third of the municipalities it had held before.