Ahead of a critical election that will determine the next president of Türkiye and lawmakers of Parliament, Türkiye is being closely watched by the international community. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will deploy staff to observe the election. Yet, Ankara is unsure about their neutrality.

As a PACE delegation visited Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop, Türkiye’s worries became more explicit about the backgrounds of observers, including those joining events of a party associated with a terrorist group.

Şentop was blunt as he addressed Frank Schwabe, head of the PACE delegation. "I think it is unfortunate that you made statements about your concerns that Turkish elections would be democratic, fair and be held in a free environment," Şentop said at the meeting at Parliament. "Such prejudiced statements are typical of an understanding of Türkiye based on double standards," he added.

The delegation, in the meantime, issued a message on Friday, after meeting with Şentop and other officials, claiming that the electoral environment "remains challenging and difficult for opposition forces," without elaborating.

The 42-member delegation will monitor the elections, which will pit incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against three other candidates, while the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will strive to keep its majority in Parliament in simultaneous legislative elections.

"The delegation calls on the Turkish authorities to make use of all means to alleviate the effects of polarization, ensure that these elections are free, fair, transparent and in line with international standards, strengthen trust in the electoral system throughout the country and ensure that the will of the Turkish people will be duly reflected in the ballot box and afterward," a statement by PACE said.

Şentop assured them that all preparations were in place for a peaceful, democratic and free election in compliance with international standards, noting Türkiye’s experience in democratic elections and openness to the international observation of its elections. He told Schwabe that a preelection report their delegation prepared would be taken into consideration by Türkiye, which attaches importance to constructive criticism and advice. "But this report can have an impact only if it reflects an unbiased and constructive understanding," Şentop added.

He urged Schwabe to avoid similar preelection statements as Türkiye expected this delegation to "apply rules of observation meticulously and in a neutral manner."

The parliamentary speaker also expressed Türkiye’s concerns about the inclusion of Andrej Hunko and Sibel Arslan in the delegation. Hunko of Germany and Arslan of Switzerland were documented attending rallies of supporters of the PKK terrorist group. Hunko was denied access to Türkiye as an observer before the 2018 elections for this reason. The terrorist group finds widespread support in Europe, which Ankara accuses of turning a blind eye.

Türkiye has been at odds with a number of countries allowing rallies by PKK supporters. Şentop also lamented the fact that PACE did not take the necessary steps on the issue, although the Turkish delegation to PACE openly expressed their disapproval of the inclusion of any parliamentarian supporting terrorist groups in the delegation of observers. "PACE is free to determine the composition of the delegation but we cannot allow people hostile to Türkiye (to observe the elections)," he said. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist group by the United States and European Union and is known for its ties to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Türkiye. HDP nominated its lawmakers under the name of a new party for upcoming elections as it faced closure due to a lawsuit for its terrorism connection.

Şentop added that Türkiye’s relations with the Council of Europe and PACE have been strained, pointing out "reports and statements about our country that go beyond criticism."

"PACE’s inspection process has been turned into a tool of punishment and is now farther from the constructive instrument it once was," he said.

The PACE delegation also visited political parties competing in the elections. The group deputy chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Yılmaz Tunç, said their meeting with the delegation focused on preelection "black propaganda." Tunç said in a statement on Friday that they conveyed their desire that the delegation would not "fall for inaccurate black propaganda aiming to spread disinformation regarding the elections."

Tunç said Turkish elections have traditionally had a high turnout, were observed by all political parties in all processes and were monitored by an independent judiciary. He added that voters’ lists and election results were accessible to everyone due to transparency regulations. "Parties, candidates have promotional freedom through any means of communication and all security measures are in place for the elections. Yet, we still see black propaganda efforts, and we urged the PACE delegation not to heed such propaganda," he said.

Tunç said some delegation members criticized freedom of thought and expression in Türkiye but they reminded them that it was AK Party that lifted obstacles against such freedoms. "We reminded them that propaganda of terrorism cannot be considered freedom of thought in any state ruled by law in any place in the world," Tunç said in his statement. Supporters of the PKK seek to portray its jailed members and members of the HDP as political prisoners and garner support from abroad.

He also shot down claims that the media was under pressure in the preelection period, noting that dozens of opposition TV, radio stations and digital platforms freely broadcast across Türkiye.