After announcing its principles, the Labor and Freedom Alliance emphasized that their most distinctive feature, which makes it different from other alliances, is that they do not just weave a line of struggle for elections. HDP Van MP Sezai Temelli told ANF that elections are also important in this respect, but the main thing is to form a comprehensive front against war, violence and the ongoing politics.

The Alliance for Labor and Freedom shared its roadmap with the people. There are different alliances in Turkey, but what is the distinctive feature of the Labor and Freedom Alliance?

As HDP, we have been offering a very important option to Turkey for a very long time. We have been expressing for years that what Turkey needs is a new understanding in order to overcome the political stalemate it finds itself stuck in today. We call this the "third way". Since entering the field of elections, Turkey has been trying to be forced into the People's Alliance and Nation Alliance.

It should not be forgotten that behind the appearance of these two alliances as rivals, there is actually an important issue that they have in common. This is their approach to the Kurdish issue. Or rather, the absence of a solution strategy for this issue. Of course, the absence of a solution plan for this issue also means that there is no program on the issue of democracy in Turkey. It also means that they do not have a program on human rights. In other words, when you look at it from this broad perspective, you see that we are living in a period when Turkey needs politics. We set out with this understanding, to lead and fill this political process and we have continued to this day by expanding and socializing the work of what we call the democracy alliance.

Now is the time to organize and structure it. The Labor and Freedom Alliance is one of the first structures to be built with this in mind. On the other hand, we are talking of an alliance that will be formed with Kurdish parties very soon. In addition, efforts for alliances in the field of faith and freedom continue on a multidimensional basis. In the field of labor, we are working not only with socialist parties. In terms of women's struggle, there is already a line of struggle that has come a long way not only in Turkey, but throughout the world. In other words, the Labor and Freedom Alliance stands out by creating an alternative to the duality of politics characterising Turkey until now.

As you said, the election campaign has been entered, but it is understood from their own words that the AKP will further deepened the existing oppressive environment by mobilizing all its tools. In this sense, how will the struggle dynamics of the Labor and Freedom Alliance be shaped?

Considering the 2017 referendum, as well as the elections on June 7 and March 31, we know very well what kind of tactics the government followed and will follow during the election campaign. First of all, it terrorizes and tries to divide the whole society, also using discrimination and hate speech. It continues to do this by targeting our party, HDP, and by normalizing its war policies and in particular its hostility towards Kurds. Today, Turkey's biggest problem is its war policies. Turkey needs to get out of these policies.

We did not enter into the election campaign as yet technically speaking, but we did politically. What happened in both Bashur and Rojava shows us this well. The way to nullify this is to put forward a strong opposition to the war policies. Therefore, today, as HDP, we have a duty to bring together the Kurdish people, and all peoples and democratic parties, both in our democracy alliance efforts and in the Labor and Freedom Alliance, which is a part of it.

Of course, to oppose the war, to establish the mechanism that will ensure the real normalization of law and justice in Turkey, perhaps as the first step to end isolation, means opposing the exploitation and plunder carried out in every field. When you do not address this with a holistic political understanding, it is important that the HDP fights against the risk of coming to the point where the Nation Alliance is dragged.

What is this risk?

A large part of Turkish society remained insensitive to war, violence and this ongoing politics. Perhaps the most important responsibility that falls on those who struggle for labor and democracy, and those who take part in this alliance work, is to eliminate this insensitivity and to form an all-out front against war, exploitation and plunder. When we say democracy alliance, it actually means the formation of a front.

In fact, we have past experiences, we can see the traces of this when we look at our 50-year history. This is an antifascist front. Because today we are faced with a fascist government. Our priority should be to destroy fascism. We act with this understanding, with this awareness. It was very clear when the Alliance for Labor and Freedom was declared, that we have come a long way. Apart from the HDP, both parties and components that were there made it clear that they had expressed their will on this issue.

We can say that the Alliance for Labor and Freedom is an alliance with the common struggle against fascism, war and exploitation. In other words, it is important to read and see this as a partnership of struggle, not through political and electoral bargains like other alliances. Therefore, elections are an important moment here, but the main thing is to think of these elections as a stop in the longer journey of struggle.

As this election process begins, the HDP risks being illegalized. This may be one of the tactics AKP will use when going to the elections. What will the HDP's attitude be in this process?

From the moment the issue first came to the fore, we have done the necessary work by taking this risk into account. Therefore, the threat to illegalize the HDP is the issue in which this government has lost all its legitimacy. We have taken our precautions since the first day this closure case was on the agenda, thinking that the government would act against us with this understanding. So I can say this very easily. The closure of the HDP will not contribute anything to the current government.

Politically, there will be no vacuum in what the HDP represents and fights for. In this sense, there will be no interruption in the struggle. The process continues with the same determination. Of course, we will continue to fight both legally and politically to prevent the HDP from being shut down. Because what you call HDP is a structure that socialized politics by saying that another policy is possible in Turkey, made the society the most important part of politics itself, and perhaps set an example for the whole world. We continue our struggle with our paradigm, our ideas, and by owning the only solution from Turkey to the Middle East. We are prepared for every eventuality. No one should have any doubts or concerns about it.