Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) spokesperson, Saruhan Oluç, has announced the party's co-mayor candidates for 41 cities and towns. Mardin Metropolitan Municipality and Van Metropolitan Municipality candidates were also announced.

Local elections will take place in Turkey on March 31.

On 11 September 2016, Turkey’s Interior Ministry appointed trustees to 28 local municipalities across the Kurdish region.

The municipalities had mostly been won by the DBP (Democratic Regions Party, a sister party of the HDP) in the previous elections. Mayors and councillors had been freely and democratically elected. 

Yet, the AKP government decided to hit the will of the people, and their right to choose their own mayors and councillors. The legally elected representatives were removed on the grounds that they allegedly provided support to the PKK and Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) - which was accused of staging the failed coup attempt of 15 July 2015.

Mayors elected for a total of 28 municipalities were suspended from their duties as part of a decree law issued under the state of emergency.

24 of the 28 co-mayors removed were accused of having links with the PKK and were arrested.

Mayors of Silvan and Sur municipalities of Diyarbakır, four municipalities in Mardin, Van and Batman, and two municipalities in Şırnak were either replaced by deputy governors or district governors.

The HDP at the time, issued a statement following the decision, describing it as unacceptable.

“Such an unlawful regulation which disregarded the voters’ will and deactivated elected local administrators and councils is null and void for us,” the party said, adding that the assignments violated international conventions and laws.

HDP also stressed that there was no difference between the mentality of the July 15 coup attempt and the recent assignments.

Here is the full list of candidates of the HDP for the local elections of March 31.

VAN

Van Metropolitan Municipality: Bedia Özgökçe Ertan - Mustafa Avcı

İpekyolu: Azim Yacan- Şehzade Kurt

Edremit: Gülcan Kaçmaz Sağyiğit - Seyfettin İtha

Özalp: Dilan Öğrenci - Yakup Almaç

Çaldıran: Leyla Adsak - Faruk Demir

Başkale: Şengül Polat - Erkan Acar

Gürpınar: Rojbin Akdağ - Kemal Güler

Gevaş: Melek Arapoğlu- Veysi Şeker

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MARDİN

Mardin Metropolitan Municipality: Ahmet Türk - Figen Altındağ

Nusaybin: Semire Nergiz -Ferhat Kut

Kızıltepe: Nülifer Elik Yılmaz- Salih Kuday

Derik: Mülkiye Esmez -Mehmet Şerif Kıran

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KARS

Kars Centre: Ayhan Bilgen – Hatice Orhankazi

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MUŞ:

Muş Centre: Sibel Genç – Sırrı Sakık

Bulanık: Eylem Suruca - Adnan Topçu

Malazgirt: Gülay Çelik - Erdal Çakar

Varto: Ülkü Baytaş - Gıyasettin Aydemir

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BATMAN

Batman Centre: Songül Korkmaz - Sabri Özdemir

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BİTLİS:

Bitlis Centre: Zekiye İlbasan - Faruk İşler

Tatvan: Serap Çakmak - Habip Yeşiltepe

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HAKKARİ

Yüksekova: Remziye Yaşar - İrfan Sarı

Çukurça: Hevidar Ertunç- Ebubekir Kanat

Şemdinli: Felem Aker – Sami Beşer

Büyükçiftlik: Gülcan Ceylan - Emin Bulgan

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AĞRI

Doğubayazıt: Yıldız Acar - Cesim Çakçı

Diyadin: Hazal Aras - İhsan Yenigün

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MALATYA

Arvguvan: Seda Gültüten- İlhan Yıldız,

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ŞIRNAK

Cizre: Mehmet Ziriğ - Berivan Kutlu

Silopi: Adalet Fidan - Sülayman Şavluk

İdil: Songül Erdem - Niyazi Çevrim

Fındık town: Ahmet İmre - Sevim İmre

Uludere: Selahattin Ürün - Feride Yaman

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DİYARBAKIR

Sur: Filiz Buluttekin -Cemal Özdemir

Bağlar: Zübeyda Zümrüt - Zeyat Ceylan

Yenişehir: Belgin Diken -İbrahim Çiçek

Lice: Salime Zingil - Tarık Mercan

Silvan: Naşide Toprak- Abbas Hilmi Azizoğlu

Bismil: Gülşen Özer - Orhan Ayaz

Eğil: Gülistan Ensarioğlu - Mustafa Akkul

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BİNGÖL

Karlıova: Evin Özen -Özkan Bingöl

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ERZİNCAN

Çağlayan: Özlem Demir - Veli Pınar Çağlayan