The response of Greece to ABTTF

Greece replied to the written statement concerning the issue of electoral threshold problem of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace representation in the political arena, which was submitted by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) to the twenty-sixth session of the UN Human Rights Council.

With the title “Participation of the Muslim minority in Thrace in Greek public life”, Greece claims that 3 percent electoral threshold is not an obstacle for minority’s representation in response to ABTTF that underlines three percent electoral threshold is an obstacle to minority’s representation in political life.

Greece suggests the actual participation of the “Muslim” minority in the governance of the local giving as facts at the most recent local and regional elections of May 25, 2014 roughly 120 Greek citizens members of the “Muslim” minority were elected at the local and regional councils in Thrace; among them three mayors in the cities of Arriana (Kozlukebir), lasmos (Yassıkoy) and Miki (Mustafçova).

According to Greece, at the last European Parliament elections held at the same day with the local and regional elections, the Friendship Equality and Peace (FEP) Party gained a considerable part of the ballot in the constituencies of Rodopi and Xanthi - accounting to 41,425 votes with an overall voter turnout in the region as high as 70%.

Therefore, Greece declares that the 3% electoral threshold is applicable in a non discriminatory way in all elections that are held in Greece and it has never served as the obstacle to the political representation of Greek citizens of Muslim faith residing at the region of Thrace the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe wishes to present. Hence, it is as early as 1927 that members of the “Muslim” minority have been members of the Greek Parliament and as of June 17, 2012 three members of the “Muslim” minority in Thrace serve as MPs in the current Parliament with two different parties.

ABTTF submitted a written statement to the twenty-sixth session of the UN Human Rights Council and voiced the problems the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace experiences at the representation of local, regional and national level. However, the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace still perceived as “other” and racist and discriminatory reviews raised concerns before the elections of 18 and 25 May 2014. ABTTF demanded from the Greek authorities abolition of 3% electoral threshold for political parties and independent candidates and called for the creation of custom applications guaranteeing representation of the Minority at the national level in the Greek Parliament after stating FEP Party’s victory in Komotini (Gümülcine) and Xanthi (İskeçe) but due to electoral threshold it was unable to send MPs to the European Parliament in the European Parliament elections.

ABTTF’s written statement submitted to the 26th Session of the UN Human Rights Council can be accessed at http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/sdpage_e.aspx?b=10&se=155&t=7 and the response of Greece to ABTTF at http://ap.ohchr.org/Documents/sdpage_e.aspx?b=10&se=155&t=2.