YSK decision to cancel candidacies comes under fire

A decision on Monday to reject 12 would-be independent candidates for June's parliamentary elections, including Hatip Dicle, Leyla Zana, Sebahat Tuncel and Gultan Kisanak, came under fire from both sides of Turkey's political spectrum yesterday. Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK) decision created a controversial situation. Parliament should hold an extraordinary session to discuss how to resolve the situation and also lower the 10 percent electoral threshold, he added. Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin also criticized the decision. "The decision may be (strictly) appropriate under the law, but it isn't acceptable to the conscience of the democracy," he said. Some analysts argued that the decision comes too late for it to be overturned before the June 12 elections. The European Union also expressed concern over the candidates' rejection. "We are monitoring the recent events very closely," said EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule.