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. 

Although credible data is unavailable, a 2011 Hacettepe University study reported that at least 187,000 women have sister wives in Turkey. The number is expected to have gone up with the influx of Syrian refugees.

HDP officials are struggling to walk a fine line, because in HDP’s stronghold regions, in rural and southeastern and eastern parts of the country, men marrying multiple wives is known to be common. Yet, polygamy in Turkey is not confined to rural areas. Al-Monitor investigated the phenomenon in the center of Istanbul. All names are pseudonyms to protect the identities of the interviewees.