ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, on Sunday held its fifth ordinary congress in Ankara, acknowledging shortcomings in its past activities and calling for greater efforts to broaden its public support.
The congress comes as a peace process between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) gathers momentum, with the DEM Party playing a key mediating role between Ankara and jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
"From this podium, I speak as the voice of a will that does not shy away from self-criticism. The strength of a political movement comes from its courage to face its past. Renewing oneself is only possible through this courage. When evaluating an era, we cannot solely use external pressures as an excuse," DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan said during a speech at the congress.
Bakirhan acknowledged shortcomings in the party's engagement with the public, its response to Turkey's economic problems and its efforts to build broader popular support for the peace process.
"Sometimes, even on issues where we were right, we failed to construct a language that would persuade the broader segments of society. There were moments when we settled for merely repeating our own truths," he said.
He also acknowledged that municipalities run by the party had not achieved all their desired goals.
"The responsibility for this does not lie solely with our municipalities; it lies with our relevant boards, with us, and personally with the co-chairs. We could have taken more creative steps in training our own cadres and drawing new generations into politics. We are aware of our shortcomings in this regard," he noted.
The DEM Party won dozens of municipalities in Turkey's March 2024 local elections, particularly in the country's predominantly Kurdish southeast. Several elected mayors have since been removed from office and replaced by state-appointed trustees over alleged links to the PKK, while some have been detained or jailed.
The party has repeatedly rejected accusations that its elected officials have ties to the PKK and has condemned the removal of mayors as an attack on voters' democratic choices.
The latest peace initiative began in late 2024 and gained momentum after Ocalan in February 2025 called on the PKK to dissolve and lay down its arms, a major turning point in efforts to end a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people since the 1980s.
DEM Party delegations have repeatedly visited Ocalan at his prison on Imrali island and held talks with Turkish officials and political parties as part of efforts to facilitate the process.
The congress comes at a critical stage in the initiative following the recent passage of a legal framework in the Turkish parliament setting out steps related to the reintegration of former PKK fighters and other measures accompanying the peace process.
The process has also raised expectations for legal and political reforms affecting Kurds and for the possible release of prisoners jailed over cases linked to Kurdish political activism.
Against that backdrop, the DEM Party is facing growing expectations to reform its own structures and expand its appeal beyond its traditional support base as it seeks a larger role in Turkey's changing political landscape.
