Özlem Gündüz is a board member of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). She spoke to ANF about the ongoing illegalization proceedings against her party in Turkey.

The illegalization process against the HDP, the most important party in the forthcoming elections, is not yet complete. Which do you expect will be the outcome and how will the decision on the party ban affect the elections?

The election mood has been palpable in Turkey for some time. The illegalization procedure has been initiated as part of the plans for the elections. The serious effects of the economic crisis in particular strengthened the election program in Turkey. The fact that the HDP is the decisive force in both the presidential and parliamentary elections inevitably means that the HDP is at the center of all electoral calculations. Both the government and the opposition see the HDP as the main challenger.

In all these calculations, the illegalization procedure occupies an important place. Those who are not familiar with the HDP tradition and know nothing of its resilience make their choice dependent on the outcome of the closure process. This is a huge mistake. Because we are preparing for every possibility in such a way that the people in Turkey will have alternatives. We know that any equation without the HDP and the Alliance for Jobs and Freedom condemns the people of Turkey to have no choice. Aware of this, the Alliance for Work and Freedom will play a key role in the illegalization process, which will directly influence the presidential and parliamentary elections, regardless of the verdict. We have no doubts or question marks in this regard.

There is an idea in society that the trial against the HDP will be dragged out in order to buy time. Given the government's electoral calculations, what do you think the AKP/MHP bloc wants to achieve by closing the HDP?

The AKP-MHP coalition has long implemented all sorts of schemes and practices to force the HDP out of politics. The government coalition knows very well that the antidote to totalitarianism is democracy and that the HDP's radical democratic stance will spoil all their games. It is therefore intensifying its measures to force the HDP out of politics. One of the most recent examples of this is the illegalization procedure. It is one of the examples of lawlessness put into practice by the AKP-MHP coalition to win the elections. The government coalition wants to destroy the possibility of a real alternative for Turkish society.

We are aware of the goals of the AKP-MHP alliance in relation to the elections. In this regard, we are prepared for any scenario. The judiciary is instrumentalized by the AKP-MHP government and the HDP illegalization procedure is a political move against democratic politics. We continue our work to try and thwart this move.

Do you have a plan B in case the HDP is closed and its politicians are banned from operating?

We have not put the lawsuit to shut down the HDP on our agenda since the day it was filed. Of course, we have made all possible legal preparations, but this litigation has never affected our working style and pace. This is because the HDP embodies an idea, a hope for the future that builds today and tomorrow. Where could an idea ever be illegalized? Apparently this has not been understood. The AKP-MHP government wanted to reduce our energy through this process and drown us in this agenda. We couldn't and didn't want to allow that. It is well known that in a country where there is no justice and the judiciary is entirely under the command of a single person, any illegalization is not legal but political. Knowing that political power will make its decisions based on the conjuncture and not on solid legal principles and concrete evidence, we will not put our work aside and wait like a sacrificial lamb. Today, with the power of the state, with the legal baton in hand, the government can turn against our party and end the closure thing. We have prepared for this. As those who come from a long tradition of struggle and resistance, we have made not just one, but more than one plan for every possible government move. If a political ban is imposed on one person, we will come with ten or a hundred people. There is a political reality of the people. We are the Third Way Alliance and under no circumstances will we leave the people without a choice. We will not surrender this country to fascism. We are prepared for every situation. People can be sure of that.

It is known that all the practices that have lasted for the past seven years, from isolation to political assassinations, were foreseen in the 'collapse plan' adopted at the October 2014 National Security Council (MGC) session. Do you see the closure of the HDP as part of this plan?

It is correct that the concept of attacks on Kurds and democratic forces, including the current wave of attacks, was developed within the framework of the plan approved at the MGK session in 2014. The continuation of the inhumane and unlawful regime of total isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan on Imrali, the destruction of cities, the arrest or lifting of immunity and ban of politicians including MPs, the appointment of community administrators, the conspiracy in the Kobanê trial, the attacks against our party and the applied enemy criminal law can be read as part of this long-term plan. With the isolation of Imrali, peace has been buried. Not only Turkey but also the Middle East is paying the price. Democracy is desperately sought in Turkey. One of the main reasons for this bad situation is the isolation and the unresolved Kurdish question. At the same time there is a popular movement. The plan against a movement that does not hesitate to pay the price and in which there are people who wage the fight for democracy at the risk of their lives has failed. While they tried to belittle us, we as the Alliance for Work and Freedom worked to build a democratic Turkey. We will bring about democratic change.

What kind of new era will arise for the Kurdish question if the HDP is illegalized?

The Kurdish question is the most important problem. It has historical, political and economic dimensions and fuels instability in the Middle East. The insistence on the fact that the Kurdish question is insoluble is an invitation to great problems for both the peoples of Turkey and the Middle East. The closure of the HDP should be understood as an insistence on the insolvency of the Kurdish question, since the HDP is one of the most important subjects in solving the Kurdish question. Of course it is not the only factor, but it is an important political issue for the realization of the solution. It should also be noted that the closure of the HDP or any totalitarian intervention cannot set us back a step in the struggle to resolve the Kurdish question. We have seen this many times in the past: those who closed the parties have shrunk, we have grown and will continue to grow.

There is also a historical background to the closure. The HDP has a political and social perspective on life that threatens the codes of the monistic and denial regime established a century ago. In this respect, the illegalization process becomes the scene of a historical debate. Whatever the outcome, we will not give up our determination to crown the second century with a democratic republic.