Objections continue regarding the pirated voters carried by the AKP to change the results in the Kurdish region in the 31 March local elections. The municipality of Şırnak province was usurped with 6,541 voters carried by the AKP from outside.

The sit-in protest initiated by the DEM Party (Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party) Şırnak Provincial Organisation for the renewal of the elections continued on the third day.

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, DEM Party Şırnak MPs Zeki İrmez, Nevroz Uysal Aslan, Peace Mothers' Council, Free Women's Movement (TJA), officials from DEM Party Silopi, Cizre, İdil municipalities, council members and many people participated in the sit-in in front of the party building on Sunday.

Speaking at the sit-in protest, Tülay Hatimoğulları said, "During our election campaigns, we saw the pressure of the military and police in many parts of Turkey.  We saw their direct intervention in our election work. We also know that soldiers and police were deployed to 32 centres, where we won the municipalities. However, we have not seen anything similar to the situation in Şırnak. This government has turned Şırnak into an open-air police station. One out of every two people in Şırnak on election day was a soldier or a policeman."

Hatimoğulları continued: "I would like to share a note I have with you. Only soldiers voted at Major General Ömer Keçecigil Primary School. 5,940 voters, 5,940 men. Their families are not here, they do not reside in any residence. But they voted only in one school. All the votes were cast for the AKP. A resident of Şırnak who said "Speak, where are you from?" actually drew a photograph of this election. The military and police stole the elections in Şırnak."

Hatimoğulları said, "The mayor of Şırnak who has been given the certificate of election is not legitimate. We call for the immediate resignation of this mayor, who plans to govern the people of Şırnak through theft, who accepts this duty by taking the risk of walking dishonourably on the streets of Şırnak. We call for the immediate resignation of this mayor. The people of Şırnak do not want you."

Remarking that the will of the people of Şırnak was usurped, Hatimoğulları said, "We consider these elections illegitimate. We declare these elections as stolen. We declare the mayors in Beytüşşebap, Uludere and Şırnak as thieves. We declare them illegitimate".

Other highlights of Tülay Hatimoğulları's speech are as follows: "They tried to steal our votes everywhere. Having rejected our objections in Bitlis and many other places, the YSK (Supreme Election Board) will now discuss the issue regarding Şırnak. We repeat our call from here. The YSK must stop being a crutch of the AKP.  The political map of Turkey has changed. A new political map has emerged in Turkey where the AKP government will no longer be able to rule as it wishes. Looking at this political map, you have to think 3-5 years ahead. The YSK has already lost its credibility. However, we call on the YSK to fulfil its primary duty for the decisions it will take from now on."

"They are trying to fraudulently come out victorious from the election which they could not win in Urfa, and the elections will be repeated in three places. A decision has been taken about two of them. Our objections regarding the third one are currently being evaluated at the YSK. We are once again calling out to the YSK. We will not let you steal the will of the people in Urfa like you stole it in Şırnak. We will multiply our votes and win the elections which you cancelled. This is our promise to all our peoples."

"As the DEM Party, wherever we objected, our objections were rejected. But wherever AKP-MHP objected, YSK accepted it. From here, we once again say to Erdoğan, stand by your balcony speech in which you said you would respect the will of the voters. Stop dealing with Uludere, Şırnak and the districts of Urfa. By giving you a defeat, our people have already shown that they will not let you steal their will. You must fulfil the consequences and requirements of this."

"We warn you once again from here. Leave what belongs to the people to the people. You cannot usurp the will of the people of Şırnak with the voters you brought from outside, with more than 10 thousand soldiers and police. Look, we are not only informing the public opinion in Turkey about this issue. One by one, in which ballot box our votes were stolen, in which ballot box the soldiers and police you brought from outside voted, will be reported and shared with all of Europe. The whole world will know that AKP continues to steal despite the defeat it suffered here. All of Europe will know this, the whole world will know this. Our struggle does not end here. The struggle of Şırnak will not be limited to Şırnak."

"What is the people's will remain the people's. No one will have power over the will of the people. If you think you can bring the Kurdish people here to their knees with transported soldiers, you are deeply mistaken. If we have taken back the places where you appointed trustees, it means that there is the will of the people here. We showed you in this election that you cannot bring the Kurdish people to their knees with your soldiers and police. We will show you once again. We will show you stronger. We will continue to be with the people of Şırnak. We will continue this solidarity and this struggle. We will never let the thieves pass, and we urge them to resign immediately."