Educators Trade Union members ask to vote for AKP despite the prohibition

In Urfa, school principals and members of Eğitim-Bir-Sen (Educators Trade Union), who have been appointed as chairpersons of balloting committees, are working on behalf of the AKP and asking for votes, although the law prohibits such activities. According to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), in the district of Halfeti in Urfa, the AKP mayor, the District Director of National Education, the district representative of Eğitim-Bir-Sen, school principals Mustafa Şenel, Şenol Esen and a public employee have been calling for votes for the AKP in the neighborhoods.

In accordance with the law, civil servants cannot be a member of a political party, they cannot act in a manner that targets the benefit or harm of any political party, person, or group. They are also not allowed to discriminate on the basis of language, race, gender, political opinion, philosophical belief, religion, or sect in the performance of their duties.

The laws prohibit public servants from making statements or taking actions for political or ideological purposes, nor can they take part in such actions. Despite these provisions in the law, AKP administrators are making public employees work for their own benefit.

Mahmut Binici, co-chair of the Education and Science Workers Union (Eğitim Sen) of the branch Urfa, said to the MA that it is against the law for public employees who are also leaders of an education union to carry out political work in the field under the guidance of the ruling party.

Binici expressed his objection to the unlawful activities in the following words: “Both professionally and in violation of the principle of equality, members of this union, who have bowed to the ambitions of the political power, are carrying out activities not on behalf of the union but on behalf of the ruling party. This is unacceptable. We cannot talk about election security in such a situation.”