The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is holding its 4th Extraordinary Congress today at the Ankara World Trade Center.

At the congress, the number of Party Assembly members will be narrowed while bylaws will be changed at the same time. Accordingly, there will be a change in the number of permanent members. That will now be 100 and their substitute will be 50. It has been learned that the HDP's co-chair candidates are Sultan Özcan and Cahit Kırkazak.

HDP former Antalya MP Kemal Bülbül spoke to ANF before the congress and said that the public meetings, visits and conferences they held were a big step to prepare for the HDP Extraordinary General Congress.

Bülbül said that the most important issues discussed at these meetings were the isolation against Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the need for a solution to the Kurdish issue. “As someone who knows Ankara very well and previously served as the HADEP Provincial chair, I found participation in our provincial conference quite positive. High-level evaluations and recommendations were made. Responsible suggestions were made by both female and male delegates, from the election method, to local problems, from local center relations, to the way of policy making in general. Many of these suggestions will, of course, be reflected in the central congress.”

Criticism will make us grow

Bülbül said that they held meetings with the public and talked to dozens of institutions after the general elections, and added that they had a very serious confrontation process with the HDP, Green Left Party, Democratic Society Party (DBP) and Democratic Society Congress (HDK).

The former MP added that they will conduct more effective opposition to break the systematic isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Öcalan and to resolve the Kurdish issue through democratic means. “The most important issue on the agenda of these conferences was to evaluate why we could not be more productive in the search for a solution to Kurdish issue. In addition, the systematic isolation imposed on Öcalan was the subject of our conference. We will bring these issues to our congress and we will welcome the new era that will emerge from the congress. We will go to the local government elections with renewed energy."

Bülbül said: “The closure case against the HDP has not been concluded yet. Since we know that the relevant institutions of the state will observe how we will step forward and take a decision accordingly, we have to take a stance accordingly, and anticipate their attitude. Of course, the HDP will exist as a party. But the real new energy and main performance will come from the Green Left Party, which will decide the new name, the new party council, and the new co-chairs at the congress.”