The Co-Presidency of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council released a statement calling on all patriotic people from Kurdistan living in Europe and in other places abroad who have the right to vote to go to the polls and cast their votes.

The KCK statement released on Sunday includes the following:

“On the basis of an annihilation and genocide concept that was started on July 24, 2015, the fascist AKP-MHP government has been trying to eliminate all the gains of the Kurdish people and carry out a Kurdish genocide by destroying the Kurdish Freedom Movement with unprecedented violence and special warfare methods. Since the fascist regime has experienced serious difficulties due to the guerrilla resistance, it has resorted to the use of chemical weapons, tactical nuclear weapons and all kinds of other banned weapons. While our people are being intimidated with oppression, arrest, torture and special warfare methods, the system of torture and complete isolation against Leader Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] has been aggravated. In order to continue the war against the Kurdish people and to carry out a Kurdish genocide, the fascist AKP-MHP government has also exerted great pressure on the people of Turkey, turned the state into a gang and mafia system and thus dragged Turkey into a situation of social, political and economic crisis and collapse. But now the peoples of Turkey, as well as the Kurdish people, want to get rid of the fascist AKP-MHP government.

Our struggle as a movement and people has brought the fascist AKP-MHP government to the brink of collapse. The AKP-MHP government has been defeated by our struggle and this state of defeat increases its collapse day by day. With the fall of the AKP-MHP, a new phase will start in Kurdistan and Turkey, and the biggest obstacle in front of the democratic struggle will be removed. The upcoming elections on May 14 therefore represent a very important point to initiate such a development. If the AKP-MHP fascist alliance is ousted from power in the May 14 elections, the way for the democratic struggle will be paved. This depends on the strong expression of the people’s will in the elections on May 14. In this respect, the upcoming elections represent a very important phase of struggle to get rid of the anti-Kurdish, racist, genocidal, colonialist and fascist government.

Our people in Turkey and Kurdistan, as well as our people living abroad, need to attach great importance to this election and must to definitely go to the polls to cast their votes. The will of our people living in Europe must thus be reflected at the ballot box. Throughout the history of our struggle, our people living abroad, especially in Europe, have given great support to the struggle and have made all the sacrifices expected of them. Undoubtedly, patriotism requires this. Our people abroad have always been a part of the struggle in their country and have thus been worthy of this honor. However, it must be well understood that the upcoming elections are an important part of this struggle. The social, political and economic conditions in Turkey have made these elections very important. There is the opportunity to bring down the fascist AKP-MHP government, which we have defeated as a movement and as a people and brought to the brink of collapse, with a strong participation in the elections. The number of votes of our people abroad is considerable. Their votes from abroad will have a great impact on the election results. In this respect, everyone definitely needs to go to the polls and vote in order to make the AKP-MHP fall and bring about the victory of the democratic forces. The votes from abroad will be a very important support for the struggle in the country and for the votes our people will cast in the elections. Therefore, our people abroad need to consider voting as their patriotic duty. Everyone needs to be sensitive towards this issue and encourage each other to cast their votes. Our people need to not only encourage each other, but also warn and criticize those who do not act sensitively with regards to this issue. Everyone should question themselves for not voting in the past even though they had the right to vote. They should criticize themselves, decide that they will definitely vote in the elections on May 14, go to the polling stations on the dates set for the areas abroad and cast their votes.

In the past, the number of people abroad who went to the polls and voted was very low. This has been a great inadequacy and deficiency for us as a people. How can it be that a patriotic Kurd does not vote and, in this way, does not give the support she/he can give to the struggle for freedom and democracy in their country? Our people must never accept this. The patriotic people of Kurdistan abroad must make up for the inadequacy of the past by participating strongly in the upcoming elections without missing a single vote. This election is very different from past elections. No one should say that they have only one vote and that it will therefore not have an effect, whether they vote or not. Even a single vote is very important, which is why no vote should be wasted. We therefore call on all patriotic people from Kurdistan living in Europe and in other places abroad who have the right to vote to go to the polls and cast their votes.”