A new period of struggle is awaiting Turkey

The period ahead will be hard, but the HDP results prove that it is possible to counter fascism

The AKP-MHP government has tried in every possible way to permanently stabilize its regime by seizing the electoral will of people and leaving the HDP under the threshold in the 24 June elections.

The AKP-MHP government went to extent of using armed gangs like in Urfa, as well as cheating, irregularities, violations of all kind. 

Despite all this, the HDP has overcome the threshold.

Erdogan and his AKP-led Turkish government has suspended the 7 June 2015 elections and launched a new war against Kurds. The strategy continued until Sunday,  elections day. The AKP wanted to extend the life of his power and turn his dictatorship into a permanent reality.

The AKP-MHP ruling has made any possible things such transferring and regrouping voting centres, using unsealed ballot boxes, in order to turn results on its favour. The elections have been contested under the State of Emergency, OHAL.

They have gone beyond any legality and have seized boxes and filled up empty ballot papers. They even used murder and provocation, as in Suruc. All these efforts were directed at leaving the HDP under the threshold. During the election process, detention, arrest, threats, repression and bans against the HDP and its supporters have been a feature since the very election day.

According to the report published by the Human Rights Association and the Human Rights Foundation, in 48 hours 93 assaults were registered against the HDP and members of the HDP have suffered torture. 3 HDP supporters were massacred, 49 were beaten and wounded. 361 HDP people were detained, 13 remanded in custody. The HDP had 17 rallies and demonstrations banned.

The Supreme Electoral Board (YSK) transferred elections centres so preventing at least 144 thousand people to vote in the conditions established by law. 

Despite all this, the HDP continued to work and run its campaign. And it won.
Overcoming the threshold is a huge success on its own. It reinforced the belief that it was possible to keep hope and win against the AKP-MHP fascism. 

These results marked a huge step for the struggle for freedom and democracy.
According to unofficial results, the AKP-MHP alliance would have the majority in the Assembly, although the HDP has overcome the threshold and returned at least 67 deputies. 

Erdogan, the candidate of the Islamist-Turkist alliance, is still at the head of the Turkish state. Despite the fact that the HDP has proved to be capable of disturbing him, these results also mark the beginning of a tough period ahead. 

This reality means a hard time is awaiting Turkey. In this respect, 24 June is the turning point for both the Turkish state and the Kurdish political movement and its allies.

This regime, which is an enemy of democracy and based its policies on Kurdish hostility, will try to go forward with the military occupation  and operation it started. 

Fascism is now the state itself.

The HDP has showed that it is possible to counter the Turkish state. 

Therefore it is right to have hope. But it is important to be realistic as well. The urgent task now is to step up and strenghten the struggle for the period ahead.