Öcalan Sends Message to DEM Party's Local Governance Conference

Abdullah Öcalan sent a message to the local governance conference organized by DEM Party at the ÇandAmed Congress Center. In his message, Öcalan emphasized local democracy, municipal governance, and autonomy, arguing that a centralized structure deepens problems.

Scraper SystemJune 08, 2026, 01:31 PM

Öcalan Sends Message to DEM Party's Local Governance Conference

Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the PKK, sent a message to the conference held by the Democratic Local Governments Board of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) at the ÇandAmed Congress Center under the slogan "The commune is the municipality, the municipality is the commune." The message was shared in Kurdish by Devrim Demir, Co-Chair of Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, who was replaced by a trustee.

In his message, Öcalan noted that historically governance was shaped on local and regional bases, and that the centralized nation-state model of capitalist modernity disrupted this structure. He described a return to local democracy as a breath of fresh air for societies and regarded the European Charter of Local Self-Government, accepted by European countries, as part of this process.

Öcalan stated that opening democratic spaces for local and regional structures in the Middle East would facilitate problem-solving, and that lifting restrictions on local democracy in Turkey could strengthen the country.

The full message from Öcalan is as follows: "To all delegates and participants of the DEM Party Local Governments Conference; For much of history, governance in society was based on the local and the appropriate, in other words, self-governance. Even in state traditions, local governments were the rule and central authority the exception. The prevailing law was that of the local and regional.

This tradition was disrupted by the homogeneous, monolithic, rigidly centralized nation-state model of capitalist modernity over the last two hundred years. The main source of all problems and deadlocks has been the imposition of this model worldwide. 'THE EU CHARTER OF AUTONOMY IS A CONTINUATION OF THIS PROCESS' The world, especially European countries that gave rise to this understanding, suffered deeply from the pains caused by fascism during the two world wars and continues to do so.

From the 1950s onward, the laws of the local, regional, national, and cultural were redefined to some extent, and democratic constitutions were adopted. The 'Charter of Local Self-Government,' ratified by European Union countries, is a continuation of this process. A return to local democracy has been the salvation of countries and a breath for societies.

If democratic expression is allowed for local and regional entities in the Middle East, where Turkey plays a leading role, many problems will be more easily overcome. Especially, removing reservations about local democracy could make Turkey stronger in the region in its second century. Both societies and states require restructuring sensitive to democratic solutions.

The general trend and need of the era is to reduce centralization and increase local governance. Rowing against the current and resisting only deepens the existing political, economic, and ecological crises. Indeed, a century has been wasted this way, causing losses for all. One should not fall into the misconception that anti-democratic centralized structures will transform on their own.

The organized struggle of democratic local and cultural structures that have gained continuity has been decisive in accelerating transformations. Local democracy and democratic constitutions have developed as a result of such struggles. 'LOCAL DEMOCRACY IS THE FORMULA FOR SOLUTION' The formula of 'local democracy and democratic constitution' is also the formula for a peaceful and democratic resolution of the Kurdish issue.

The democratic integration we have tried to develop during the Peace and Democratic Society Process has its lifeblood in local democracy. Democratic integration can only find meaning through local democracy. The source of the trustee policy implemented in recent years lies in the absence of local democracy. In a country where democracy can be so easily denied, no problem can be solved, and this is evident.

The Kurdish issue has reached a stage of resolution at the local government level. Not only in the context of the Kurdish issue but for Turkey as a whole, overcoming existing local government problems depends on strong local democracy. Securing local democracy within a legal framework is the most realistic and sole solution. For Syria, Iraq, and Iran, full and complete implementation of local democracy is also necessary.

The antidote to all negativities is democratic politics and local democracy. Only through this can a democratic society be achieved. Local governments play a decisive and leading role in developing local democracy. The first pillar of democracy and democratic communes is local. Developing democratic communal people's municipal governance is pioneering in this path.

For this, alternative social, economic, and ecological models based on the people, not the center, power, or monopoly, must be developed. The greatest capital of local governments is the people; if the labor of the people is united, no problem is insurmountable. The understanding of democratic municipal governance must be developed.

The democratic municipal movement should ensure democratic social organization everywhere, from village-neighborhood communes to cooperatives, from civil society organizations to human rights groups, from women's freedom struggles to advocates for children's and animal rights, from youth to ecologists.

Priority should be given to women, children, youth, education, language, culture, art, health, economy, and ecology. Production areas should be increased, and solutions found for the growing unemployment every day. New living spaces should be built under women's leadership. 'MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE IS NOT SMALL-STATEHOOD' Participation of the people in governance and inclusion in all decisions must be fundamental.

City Councils and City Assemblies can be established; citizens can gather here to discuss and decide on all kinds of economic and social issues. If democratic people's municipal governance is developed, the people will protect their municipality, and anti-democratic tendencies like trustee appointments will not easily develop. Municipal governance is not small-statehood. However, the system applied is a micro-state.

This idea must be abandoned both philosophically and practically. Municipalities are not micro-states but communes. In Europe, the foundation of municipalities is the commune. Among Kurds, it is 'kombûn,' with origins dating back thousands of years and extending from these lands to Europe. The state thinks and approaches macroscopically, the commune produces micro solutions; there is dialogue, negotiation, and competition between them but no conflict.

Thus, civil society becomes functional and transforms into real cultural, social, and economic institutions. The spirit of the commune should be developed in municipalities, which provide the foundation and opportunity for all this, and all work should be carried out with this spirit. Mere discussion is not enough; it is time to build and implement. In the Peace and Democratic Society Manifesto, we replaced class with commune, which sparked intense debates. We do not deny either class or state.

But the state grows like a tumor. Our synthesis of state and commune develops as a response to frozen, intense tensions, meaningless wars, and the over-idealization of class struggle. We are gradually expanding this. Its counterpart is to turn the commune-state relationship into a democratic struggle and competition. What has recently been attempted in Syria is important from this perspective; it should also be applied in Iraq.

The election of a Turkmen governor in Kirkuk is an example; Turkmens here can be a commune that defines its own content, not a micro-state. Municipalities should be managed with the mindset and importance of local democracy; they should not be run with petty bureaucratic thinking. Solutions to all urban needs, from cleaning to affordable production, education to health, transportation to ecology, can be found with the commune approach.

It is enough to act with the understanding that 'municipalities are communes' and fulfill its requirements. Success in local governments and municipalities during the Peace and Democratic Society Process will lead to new developments and provide more strength to the position and foundation of democratic negotiation. I wish success to everyone involved in the serious work of practicing democratic popular municipal governance to develop this process.

I also wish the Local Governments Conference success and send my endless greetings and love. 24.05.2026 Abdullah ÖCALAN Imrali Island" (MA).

Öcalan Sends Message to DEM Party's Local Governance Conference