Turkey's cross party Kurdish peace coalition makes history with PKK clemency law

Turkey's cross party Kurdish peace coalition makes history with PKK clemency law Ragip Soylu on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 10:49 Landmark legislation granting limited clemency to PKK members wins unprecedented support across the political spectrum, opening a path to ending four decades of conflict Turkish Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli (centre) shakes hands with Pervin Buldan (centre left), an MP of the Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party after voting on the bill at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara on 10 August (AFP/Adem Altan) Off It would have been unimaginable three years ago to see lawmakers from Turkey's ruling coalition pose in parliament alongside pro-Kurdish MPs and other opposition politicians after voting to grant partial clemency to members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). But that's exactly what has happened after a historic vote. For the first time in Turkey's modern history, the government introduced legislation establishing a framework for resolving its conflict with the PKK - and potentially ending nearly four decades of fighting. The PKK has waged a guerrilla campaign against the Turkish state since the early 1980s, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and members of the security forces. The group initially sought independence and later greater autonomy for Turkey's Kurds. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Following two years of negotiations with imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and its coalition partner, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), led by Devlet Bahceli, decided to pursue an end to the conflict. The process was set in motion by Bahceli in a speech in October 2024, when he emerged as an unprecedented advocate for peace. His address was startling not only because he said he would tolerate Ocalan appearing before parliament, after having repeatedly called for his execution, but