German MP says Kurdish candidate ‘best choice' for Cologne mayor

COLOGNE, Germany - The head of the Greens faction in the German parliament said their candidate for mayor of Cologne, Kurdish woman Berivan Aymaz, is "the best choice" and commended her for her potential to represent everyone. The second round of local elections will be held on Sunday.

Germany's most populous state North Rhine-Westphalia held local elections on September 14. Aymaz, a Green Party candidate born to a Kurdish family in Turkey’s Bingol province in 1972, led the mayoral race with 28.1 percent of votes, but fell short of the required majority. She will face Social Democratic Party (SPD) candidate Torsten Burmester in a September 28 runoff.

"We want to create confidence in all people that Berivan is a good mayor. This offer is not only for Green Party voters but for all the people of this city. She wants to represent all people. I believe Berivan has these abilities," Katharina Droge, co-chair of the Green Party’s parliamentary group in the Bundestag (parliament]), told Rudaw on Thursday. 

"If one votes for Berivan Aymaz, they will elect a very worthy woman who is Cologne with all her heart. She supports with her conviction a diverse society, people's rights, and also a tolerant and open Cologne. In my view, she is the best choice," she added. 

Aymaz told Rudaw on Thursday that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has launched a campaign to prevent her from winning the post. 

The following is the full transcript of the interview with Katharina Droge:

Rudaw: Dear Ms. Droge, thank you for this interview. I'm aware that you're very busy with the election campaign and are supporting Berivan [Aymaz]. You're now in Cologne, what is your message to the voters of this city?

Katharina Droge: I came from Berlin because this election is important beyond Cologne as well. Berivan Aymaz, with her personality and biography, represents an integrated society, one that doesn't want to be separated but says we are electing a woman who with her background represents the special biographies of Germany. In our country, there lives millions of people whose parents or grandparents were not born in Germany. They are part of Germany and German life. I believe it's very important that we say this strongly at this time because we see that polarization is becoming stronger. We also see that right-wing extremists want to change public opinion against this. Berivan Aymaz had the courage to say ‘I will make an agreement for all the people of Cologne, for the young and the old, the economy, workers, and also for climate protection’. In my view, this is a very important election. That's why I'm here today and supporting Sunday's success.

In the first round of voting, Berivan received the most votes. Did you expect this? And if she becomes mayor in the second round on the 28th of this month, what signal does this send?

I spoke with many people. I was with Berivan during the election campaign. And I saw during the campaign that people spoke very positively with Berivan. On the streets they contacted her and said 'Can you stop?' or 'Can I briefly discuss a problem I have?' Then I knew there would be good results in the election, because people spoke with her openly and frankly. It was truly a surprise for us when the election results came out with such a large difference. She went to the second round with 28 percent, with a very large difference. I believe this is a strong signal for the final phase. We want to create confidence in all people that Berivan is a good mayor. This offer is not only for Green Party voters, but for all the people of this city. She wants to represent all people. I believe Berivan has these abilities.

You are the head of the Green faction in the federal parliament. Thousands of immigrants live in this city, including a large number of Kurds. What are the Green Party's plans and programs in Germany for asylum seekers?

As I see it, the most important point to start with, here I speak as an economic politician, is that all this debate about refugee policy harms people who flee and come to us, because they are excluded from our society. But it's also harmful to our economy. It also fundamentally affects our shared future, because we are a society that already brings fewer children into the world and is aging. Without migration our society doesn't function. Therefore, my hope is that Germany speaks about migration in a very positive way and openly supports it. 

Regarding the refugee issue, I'm sure that when people flee and request asylum here, it becomes our duty to receive and protect these people and provide them with a home. We have repeatedly said that we will make proposals for people to be granted permanent residency. For this to materialize, in my view, they should be given work permits. For example, there are still many work prohibitions for asylum seekers. In my opinion, it's irrational that work is prohibited for these people. And at the same time, information is spread by the right that these people don't want to work. Therefore, the first step for us in Germany is to lift this prohibition. 

The second issue is the suspension of family reunification for those who have the right to temporary protection. I believe this is a very harsh decision, because family members need to be together. Separating families is also a heartbreaking and wrong decision. This decision affects few families themselves. We as the Green Party strongly protested this in parliament and voted against it. This is an important measure that must be changed again.

Well, how can a balance be created between border control and protecting refugee rights?

The way Alexander Dobrindt [German interior minister] does it is illegal. The court has also ruled that he cannot implement it that way. This way, the right to asylum is taken from people who flee. It's also an irrational measure that burdens the economy of those areas and also burdens the situation of people who travel between two countries. Therefore, we say controls should be implemented differently, but refugee cases must be processed in Germany. If one says 'I want to apply for asylum here,' one cannot break the law. The interior minister has an exemplary role to be bound by German laws. If Alexander Dobrindt doesn't do this, in my view it's a big mistake.

Does your faction support the deportation of migrants to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria?

If we look at an example like Afghanistan, it's clear it's not a safe country. If you look at how the Taliban treats people with different opinions, they threaten them with death. Women in Afghanistan have no rights whatsoever. It's not a country where we should deport people.

How does the Green faction evaluate the human rights situation of Kurds in Turkey, especially the current discussions around peace? What is your demand from the Turkish government after the PKK dissolved itself?

We see that [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan behaves in a dictatorial manner and applies more pressure. This is a problematic development that we as the Green Party always point out. This question is related to foreign policy, which one must always monitor and go there. Many Green Party politicians go there and especially monitor the situation of Kurds.

What is your message to Kurdish voters in Cologne?

If one votes for Berivan Aymaz, they will elect a very worthy woman who is Cologne with all her heart. She supports with her conviction a diverse society, people's rights, and also a tolerant and open Cologne. In my view, she is the best choice.

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