Head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, head of the department of legal and foreign affairs of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Eskender Bariiev, in an interview with the ATR TV channel, said that now it is impossible to hold Qurultay elections due to the occupation of Crimea. According to the expert, at the moment it is necessary to strengthen the work of the self-organization bodies that exist today.
“Regarding the new elections. What is elections? This is not only voting, which can be used with the help of modern technologies. It is the creation of election commissions of all levels, it is the nomination of candidates, the registration of candidates for the Qurultay delegates, including from the Crimean Tatar social and political forces, campaigning, and only then the voting and counting itself. I want to remind you that the Qurultay is the highest representative body of the Crimean Tatar people and, it was no coincidence that I said that we need a larger number of voters who took part in the voting. If tomorrow 5 people vote online – it is not a representative body”,- he said.
Bariiev stressed that even if they could interfere with the American elections, then what about the Crimean Tatar people, whose homeland is now under occupation? The expert has repeatedly stated on international platforms that the Crimean Tatars are deprived of the right to elect their self-government bodies and called on both the OSCE and the UN to assist this process, since their mandate allows this to be done. After all, only with the assistance of these organizations will the Crimean Tatars be able to hold fair elections.
“Another question is the following. How to make the Mejlis work more efficiently? How to make the Qurultay delegates work more efficiently? Yes, it is possible to convene the Qurultay online, but there are a number of points. In order for the Qurultay session to take place, at least two-thirds of the delegates must take part, and the credentials committee must confirm these delegates. But another point – the average age of these delegates shows that not all of them can use modern technologies. Secondly, not all delegates live in cities, but also in villages where there is no Internet. Thirdly, there may be interference from an external structure – the special services of the Russian Federation”,- explained a member of the Mejlis.
According to Bariiev, it is impossible to hold elections to Qurultay now, because it is not realistic and even dangerous. It is necessary to strengthen the work of the self-organization bodies that exist today: conduct an audit, strengthen work and involve young people.
“At the moment, it is necessary to conduct an audit of what the CEC, the Audit Commission, the Credentials Commission can do. We need to know how many real delegates of the Qurultay are there today. Then, based on the number, we could hold a session not only online, but also in Kyiv in in accordance with the regulations and customs of the Qurultay”,- concluded the Head of the Board of the CTRC.