Dava: Possible offshoot of the AKP in focus

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Supporters of Turkish President Erdoğan (in May 2023 in Berlin)

Photo: dts news agency / IMAGO

The European elections on June 9th are the first major political test of sentiment in the country - a group that has not yet appeared could possibly take part: It calls itself the "Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Awakening" (Dava) and is widely met with skepticism in the political landscape .

The background is reports that it is an offshoot of Erdoğan's AKP party. It is feared that the Turkish president could try to gain influence in this country through the Dava.

Chairwoman of the Conference of Interior Ministers, Michael Stübgen (CDU), has now commented in this direction. "Due to the special background, I believe it is necessary for the security authorities to keep a very close eye on the activities and positioning of this formation from the start," said Brandenburg's Interior Minister.

He doesn't see why an offshoot of the AKP should pursue the goal of working for the good of the Federal Republic of Germany. "Such a party will act exclusively in the spirit of its Turkish mother party and that does not fit into the German party landscape." It is not without coincidence that the name is reminiscent of the Islamic term Da'wa, which stands for proselytizing non-Muslims, said Stübgen.

Dava denied being an AKP offshoot. "We had no contact with representatives of foreign governments either before or after its founding," said a Dava spokesman on Tuesday. He doesn't understand criticism of the association's founding before the upcoming European elections. The aim is “to provide a political home for citizens who do not feel represented by the established parties.”

In addition to parties, other political associations that Dava falls under can also take part in the 2024 European elections. According to the Federal Statistical Office, Dava has not yet submitted an election proposal or supporting signatures to the Federal Returning Officer. A common list for all federal states would require signatures from 4,000 eligible voters.

Top candidate with AKP connections

"The AKP is trying to create a direct lobby in the European Parliament with former chairmen of anti-Semitic and Islamist organizations," said the chairman of the German-Turkish parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Green MP Max Lucks, to the Funke newspapers. "What is emerging here is nothing other than a Turkish version of the AfD."

Fatih Zingal is set to become the top candidate in the European elections. He was deputy chairman of the Union of European Turkish Democrats, which was previously considered an AKP lobby organization. Dava party leader Teyfik Özcan says he was an SPD member for decades before he left the party. In October 2023 he wrote on Facebook about the war in the Middle East: “Genocide in the past: locking people in a room and gassing them. Genocide today: lock people in an area and drop bombs.«

But there are also more cautious voices. SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich said on Monday that we should first wait and see “whether this party will be relevant here in any way.” The spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group in the German-Turkish parliamentary group, Macit Karaahmetoglu, advises more calm when dealing with Dava. Conjuring up a great danger here only serves the narrative of right-wing populists. He neither believes that Turkish President Erdogan and the AKP will support the party directly, especially financially, nor that the founding is intended to influence the European Parliament.

"You can accuse Erdoğan of many things, but not that he could be so careless as to found a party that is seen as a figurehead for the Turkish community, but could potentially remain completely meaningless in the elections," said Karaahmetoglu. Rather, the parliamentary group suspects that the issue is now being used by the CDU/CSU "to subsequently tarnish the reform of nationality law."

Thorsten Frei, Parliamentary Managing Director of the Union faction, commented in this direction. "It shows to some extent that the change in citizenship law was a categorical mistake," he said, referring to the expanded dual statehood. "This will be another gateway for foreign influence on German politics."

The Dava's chances in elections are uncertain. According to the media service Integration, around 2.8 people of Turkish origin live in Germany, 1.5 have a German passport and are therefore entitled to vote. The five percent threshold does not apply to the European elections. This means that even if the share of votes is low, there is a chance of sending members to the EU Parliament.

anr/ulz/dpa/APF/Reuters