In a dramatic u turn, today Turkey's High Elections Board (YSK)says some independent Kurdish candidates could actually contest the 12 June elections. With a verdict that partially reverses the first decision to bar 12 independent candidates the YSK ruled today that indeed Harun Özcan, Mehmet Hatip Dicle, Leyla Zana, Mehmet Salih Yýldýz, Ertuðrul Kürkçü, Gülten Kýþanak and Sebahat Tuncel who were all previously excluded could now run in the elections.

For the YSK then 8 candidates are now eligible to run for Parliament. The board reversed a decision which had barred 12 candidates from participating in June elections due to past convictions. The board's decision came after an evaluation of appeals by the candidates. It says two other appeals were still being evaluated while two others were rejected.

Thousands of people had taken the streets since the previous decision by YSK demonstrating and opposing the Board political verdict.