European Parliament (EP) member Marie-Christine Vergiat congratulated HDP for its election victory. Vergiat said that this HDP victory means the failure of Erdoğan’s authoritarian policies that ignore minorities.

In her message, EP deputy Marie-Christine Vergiat said that 53 million voters spoke in Turkey and prevented AKP from forming a single-party government for the first time in 13 years.

Vergiat reminded Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s goal of winning two third of the votes before the elections and said that the results are the failure of Erdoğan’s desire to establish a presidential regime in Turkey. Vergiat stated that Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) erosion continues as the party’s votes fell from 50 percent in 2011 general elections to 45 percent in 2014 local elections and to 41 percent this year.

Vergiat emphasized that election results reflect Turkish civil society’s discontent at rising authoritarianism. Vergiat said that People’s Democratic Party (HDP) is the biggest winner of the election and managed to increase its base by bringing together minorities, women, environmentalists and queers who object to Erdoğan’s authoritarianism and violence. Vergiat highlighted that HDP became a significant force that can transform politics in Turkey with its 13 percent of the votes and 82 deputies.

‘SIGN OF HOPE FOR TURKEY AND DEMOCRACY IN THE REGION’

Left Front’s AP parliamentarian Vergiat said that HDP’s election success is a ‘sign of hope’ for Turkey and democracy in the region. Vergiat stated that the massacre in Amed made this sign more clear, and congratulated Kurdish people and all democrats in Turkey for their election victory.