ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Controversial Kurdish politician Leyla Zana defied custom on Tuesday, changing some of the words while reciting her parliamentary oath, 24 years after she insisted on taking her oath in Kurdish and earning herself a long jail term.
Before taking her oath at the lectern, Zana cheered "Biji Aşiti," a Kurdish expression for "Long live peace."
Zana, who won a seat from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), also changed the wording of the oath to "the nation of Turkey" instead of the "Turkish nation."
The Republican People's Party's (CHP) Deniz Baykal, who was presiding over the assembly as the acting speaker, asked Zana to recite the oath statement once again, but Zana refused. Her oath was declared nullified.
In 1991, Zana defied Turkish law when she recited the final portion of her oath in Kurdish.
"I take this oath for the brotherhood between the Turkish people and the Kurdish people," she had said, earning herself a 10-year prison term by the Turkish government.
Tuesday’s oath taking was for MPs who won seats in the November 1 snap elections – held after polls in June failed to grant any party enough seats to form a government.
Turkey’s new cabinet is expected to be announced on Wednesday.
