Turkey’s Supreme Election Board bans AKP poll jingle on CHP appeal

ANKARA

Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) has decided to ban a campaign jingle of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) prepared for the upcoming snap elections, according to an AKP deputy head and a candidate for the polls, Bekir Bozdağ. 

Bozdağ tweeted the news on Sept. 23, after Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Mahmut Tanal applied to the Supreme Election Board (YSK) on the grounds that the jingle “abused faith.”

“CHP deputy M. Tanal has objected to the ‘Bismillah’ [meaning in the name of God] in the AKP election campaign song on the grounds that the “Basmala is a religious term and cannot be used in the elections.

Upon the CHP’s objection, the YSK has decided that ‘the Basmala cannot be used in the polls.’ As a result, the Basmala is forbidden thanks to the CHP,” read a part of Bekir Bozdağ’s tweets, regarding the AKP’s jingle called “Haydi Bismillah.” 

“The CHP can conduct a campaign without the Basmala but we will continue our election campaign and start all our works by saying ‘Haydi Bismillah,’” continued Bozdağ’s tweet. 

No official announcement was made by the YSK as the daily went to press and Tanal told hürriyet.com.tr on Sept. 23 that no decision had been conveyed to him about the issue. 

Tanal applied to the YSK on Sept. 23 about the AKP’s campaign song on the grounds that “it exploited the nation’s religious and moral feelings and thus the election rules had been contravened.” 

Tanal said the song violated the Constitution’s 24th Article, where it states that religious values cannot be abused to influence the state’s social, economic, political or judicial systems. 

He also noted that the 87th article of the law on political parties forbade the usage of religious terms and values for political parties.