51 Years Later Armenians Return to the Turkish Parliament

• 11.04.2015, 16:16
•  Region,  World,  Diaspora,  Info

2015 was a significant year for Turkey not only due to the two parliamentary elections but also due to the number of national and religious minority representatives that entered the parliament. Particularly, as a result of November 1 elections the Armenians will be represented in the Turkish parliament by 3 deputies, who were also elected during the June elections.

Markar Esayan, an Armenian journalist for the daily Yeni Şafak, entered the parliament on AK Party ticket from Istanbul’s second election area, Hurriyet reports.

Selina Dogan, from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was elected as the first deputy candidate from the second election area of the CHP’s Istanbul list. Dogan, who has Armenian origin, works as a lawyer. CHP head Kemal Kılıcdaroglu commenting on introducing Dogan as a candidate, noted that "her candidacy was an important message for the world".

Garo Paylan, from the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) list will also work as a member of the Turkish Parliament.

The reelection of these deputies marks the Armenian comeback to the Turkish Parliament. The last Armenian deputy that served as a member in Turkey was Berc Sahak Turan, from 1961 to 1964.

In total, only 24 representatives of non-Muslim minorities have held parliamentary seats in Turkey’s republican history, Al-Monitor reports. 

The first was Berc Keresteciyan, an Armenian who entered parliament in 1935. Besides Keresteciyan, who was re-elected twice, two Greeks, two Jews and an Orthodox Turk served in parliament during the CHP’s 27-year single-party rule, when no other party could contest the elections.

In the 1946 polls, which marked the beginning of the multiparty system, two representatives from the Greek Orthodox community, became parliament members on the CHP ticket. From 1950 to 1960, when the Democrat Party ruled Turkey, four Jews, three Greeks and three Armenians served in the legislature. The Founding Assembly formed after the military coup of May 27, 1960, included representatives from Jewish, Greek and Armenian minorities. Armenians were represented by Hermine Agavni Kalustyan who was also the republic’s first non-Muslim minority woman to serve in parliament.

After Armenian lawmaker Turan completed his term in 1964, non-Muslim minorities have remained without parliamentary representation for 31 years. In 1995, Cefi Kamhi, a Jew, broke the hiatus for four years. From 1999 to 2011, non-Muslims were absent again. In the previous parliament, the Syriac Erol Dora was the only non-Muslim minority representative.