The approval of applications to run in the June elections by three polygamous candidates of the Turkish People's Democracy Party indicates that while the practice is illegal, the idea of marrying multiple wives could be acceptable by society.
Kurdish women dance during a wedding ceremony at Yekmal village in the mountains of Hakkari, June 24, 2012. - Getty Images/Bulent Cilic
News broke on March 16 that the People’s Democracy Party (HDP)had approved the applications of three polygamous candidates in the eastern province of Hakkari. This was intriguing because only a week earlier the HDP, the party known for bolstering women’s rights and equality, had announced that men with a history of rape, sexual or physical harassment or those in polygamous marriages would be rejected to apply for candidacy in the June general elections. This controversy caused uproar in social media. Al-Monitor contacted several high-level HDP officials and the prospective candidates in Hakkari. Polygamy has been illegal in Turkey since 1926, making this is a sensitive issue. While HDP candidates declined to answer any questions, HDP officials told Al-Monitor that it is unlikely these prospective candidates will be appointed as HDP nominees in the upcoming elections.
These events reignited the debate about legalization of polygamy. Although Islam allows for up to four wives, in Turkish civil law only the first wife has legal status. The so-called sister wives are mostly left at her mercy in the case of the husband’s death.
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