Expressing support for a genuinely democratic repeat mayoral election in Istanbul, Turkey.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 449 Expressing support for a genuinely democratic repeat mayoral election in Istanbul, Turkey. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 19, 2019 Mr. KEATING (for himself and Mr. WILSON of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing support for a genuinely democratic repeat mayoral election in Istanbul, Turkey. Whereas, on March 31, 2019, the Republic of Turkey held local elections across each of its 81 provinces; Whereas this local election cycle included the election of 30 metropolitan and 1,351 district municipal mayors as well as 1,251 provincial and 20,500 municipal councilors; Whereas more than 57,000,000 Turkish citizens were reg- istered to vote and turnout was high with just under 85 percent of registered voters casting their vote; Whereas this election was the first to be held since the coun- try transitioned from a parliamentary to a Presidential system; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:39 Jun 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR449.IH HR449 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 449 IH Whereas following the release of electoral results indicating a victory by a candidate from the opposition Republican People’s Party, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) alleged that electoral irregularities invali- dated the results of the election; Whereas, on May 7, 2019, the Turkish Supreme Election Council announced its decision to invalidate the results of the Istanbul mayoral election, citing irregularities in the administration of the polling stations, even though the re- sults of the Istanbul district and provincial council elec- tions, which the AKP won, will stand; Whereas a repeat election for Istanbul mayor has been called for June 23, 2019; Whereas these developments contributed to a perception that the invalidation was politically motivated; and Whereas such perceptions, regardless of their accuracy, can erode public confidence in electoral institutions: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog- 1 nizes that— 2 (1) the peaceful change of government through 3 legitimate elections is a hallmark of democracy; 4 (2) the United States national security benefits 5 from alliances with strong, resilient democracies; 6 (3) to restore confidence in democratic electoral 7 institutions, Turkey’s government, political, and 8 electoral leaders should make every effort to ensure 9 that the conduct of the June 23 repeat election com- 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:39 Jun 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR449.IH HR449 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 449 IH plies with Turkish law and meets or exceeds Tur- 1 key’s commitments as a participating state of the 2 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eu- 3 rope (OSCE) and international standards for a fair, 4 transparent, and competitive process; 5 (4) to enhance confidence and transparency, 6 credible, nonpartisan Turkish and international ob- 7 servers should be invited and supported to monitor 8 electoral processes; and 9 (5) in keeping with mutual OSCE commit- 10 ments, the United States should continue to support 11 the strengthening of democracy and human rights in 12 Turkey, including elections that inspire public trust 13 and reflect the will of voters. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:39 Jun 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR449.IH HR449 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS