US opposes elections in northeastern Syria, citing lack of 'free, fair, transparent' conditions

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Friday said it does not support municipal elections in the YPG/PKK-held areas in the northeastern Syria, saying that conditions for "free" and "inclusive" elections are not in place.

"The United States assesses that the necessary conditions for convening free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections in Syria, including in the North and East, have not been met and therefore does not support the recent announcement by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) calling on the High Elections Committee to begin preparations for municipal elections," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"The United States has consistently stated that any elections that occur in Syria should be free, fair, transparent, and inclusive, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Conditions for such elections are not currently met in Syria, including in the North and East," he added.

The statement came after the YPG announced plans to hold municipal elections in a region it controls in northeastern Syria. Türkiye opposes the move due to YPG's links to the PKK terror group, which is also designated as a such by the US and the EU.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously said Türkiye will never allow a "terrorland" just beyond its southern borders in the north of Syria and Iraq.

The US sees the YPG, which was later renamed the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a partner in the fight against Daesh/ISIS in Syria and does not recognize it as a terror group, although it does acknowledge the PKK as such.

Türkiye has never accepted US support for the YPG because of its ties to the PKK, which remains one of the major sources of contention in relations between the two NATO allies.

The PKK has waged a terror campaign against Türkiye for more than 35 years and has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 victims, according to official figures.