an Erdogan submarine in Germany?

What does DAVA represent in Germany, the Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Renewal, which will participate in the European elections on June 9. Is this a sub from Erdogan, the Turkish president, on the ethnic Turkish community in Germany? Decryption with journalist Kai Littmann.

Focus on Germany today, on the occasion of a political initiative, which one day could become a political party, DAVA, which has just seen the light of day in Cologne. A group of Muslims, mainly Turkish, is at the origin of this party, which will present candidates in the European elections in June. Around 1.5 million people of Turkish origin are registered to vote in Germany. Details from Kai Littmann, journalist, director of the site eurojournalist.eu.

franceinfo: What does this DAVA, Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Renewal, represent?

Kai Littmann: DAVA is currently a political initiative which will indeed participate in the European election on June 9, and which wants to participate in the legislative elections in 2025, in Germany. Dava means Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Renewal.

This initiative, soon to be a party, is none other than a subsidiary of the AKP, the party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and which, in this way, is beginning to interfere in European affairs and foreign affairs. Germans. And for now, it seems like nothing can stop him.

How many Turks are there in Germany?

Today, the figure is estimated at between 3 and 5 million? We don’t know exactly. There are also many Turks who live in Germany, with dual nationality, and therefore have the right to vote in European elections, in legislative elections in Germany.

And in the last Turkish elections, how many Turks in Germany voted?

More than 70% of them voted for the AKP, therefore Erdogan’s party. And that is the electoral base for this new formation which is DAVA, made up of people who are a little chilling. When we look at the head lists of DAVA, there is a certain Fatih Zingal who was in a structure which today is banned in Germany, the UID, which was a structure to raise funds for the AKP.

IThere is a certain Ali Ünlü, who was a representative of DITIB, the Turkish state structure which finances mosques in the diaspora, and a certain Mustafa Yoldas, who was one of the major representatives of the IHH, another structure , now banned in Germany, from raising funds in Germany for the masses.

DAVA, which is not yet a political party, can run in the European elections?

Yes, and she is going to run in the European elections. And that’s very interesting. Germany does not have a threshold of 5% for example, as in France, for the European election. Which means that, in 2019, during the last election, it was enough to have 0.6% of the votes to have a seat in the European Parliament. This is a figure that will easily be achieved by DAVA.

So everything seems to indicate that in the next European Parliament, we will have representatives of the AKP, of Erdogan’s Turkey, who will participate, interfere in European and German politics.

Reaction from the German government today?

Everyone is shocked, across all political groups. Because indeed, there is a competitor who presents himself. And you asked me the question earlier with between 3 and 5 million people, at least of Turkish origin in Germany, that still represents a fairly large electorate, and I think that Turkey, in the future , risks effectively weighing on politics in Germany. On the other hand, there is no possibility of doing anything against this formation.

Reaction of German political parties?

All parties are outraged, and very interesting was the reaction of the Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, who himself is of Turkish origin, was outraged by the formation of the DAVA. But as long as this formation does not transgress the constitution, nothing can be done against this formation.

But are there Turks in Germany who oppose DAVA?

Already the entire Kurdish community, which is totally opposed to this party. There are also scientists who say that religious parties that defend a single issue, for example, the interests of fellow ethnic Turks in Germany, generally do not enjoy long-term success.

On the other hand, there, they can also be wrong, and we will also see the dynamic which is now developing during the last weeks, the last months before the European election. But there is a really good chance that they will send a few elected officials to Strasbourg to the European Parliament.