In a historic shift, Turks elect Yazidis, Armenians and Roma candidates to parliament
Source: GlobalPost
ISTANBUL, Turkey — When it became clear that a Kurdish-rooted party would enter parliament for the first time in Turkish history, Kurdish towns and neighborhoods across the country erupted with deafening joy, as cars honked and fireworks exploded late into the night.
But the Kurds weren’t the only winners in Sunday’s elections. As the results rolled in, many of the country’s ethnic and religious minorities realized that they too had reason to celebrate: the new parliament is set to be the most diverse in decades.
Turkey’s Yazidi (Ali Atalan and Feleknas Uca, HDP) and Roma (Ozcan Purcu, CHP) communities will be represented in Ankara for the first time. Other freshly elected MPs include Armenians (Markar Esayan, AKP, Selina Dogan, CHP and Garo Paylan, HDP), Syriacs (Erol Dora, HDP) and Alevis, as well as a record number of women.
After a closely fought election, Turkey faces a coalition government. President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has lost its absolute majority, taking only 258 of the parliament’s 550 seats.
Read more: http://www.globalpost.com/article/6575980/2015/06/09/kurds-werent-only-winners-turkeys-game-changing-election
