3 Turkish mayors decided not to welcome, attend programs of Erdoğan

The pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) said mayors of Diyarbakır, Batman and Siirt decided not to welcome and attend programs of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan scheduled for Saturday in their cities, Today's Zaman reported on Sunday.

In a statement, the party said Erdoğan's recent remarks on the settlement process as well as the Erdoğan's failure to be impartial as a president and his turning his local visits to election campaigns for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party ) lie behind the mayors' decision.

The opposition has been voicing criticism over Erdoğan's rallies ahead of the parliamentary elections slated for June 7, saying he openly violates Article No. 103 of the Turkish Constitution, which covers the president's oath and clearly states that the president must assure the public that he will remain impartial while performing his duties.

Erdoğan, a founding leader of the AK Party who was elected as president on Aug. 10, has been calling on people to vote for the ruling party, without uttering its name, and give it the power to make a new constitution in the parliamentary elections slated for June 7 during rallies he hold across Turkey.

AK Party is unlikely to secure enough seats in Parliament to comfortably press for constitutional changes if the HDP manages to pass a 10-percent election threshold and enters Parliament.