The Green Left Party co-spokespersons Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and İbrahim Akın and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chairs Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar held a press conference at the HDP Headquarters in Ankara concerning the outcomes of the May 14 elections.

According to unofficial results, the Green Left party won 63 deputies in 23 cities with 9.33 percent of the votes. Despite the government’s election campaign that used state power and the judiciary to crack down on the opposition, the Green Left Party managed to maintain its strategic position and become the 3rd biggest party in the Parliament, and its principle of equal representation, sending 31 female MPs to Parliament.

'WE COULDN’T FULLY ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVES'

Green Left Party Co-Spokesperson Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar said that they could not fully achieve their objectives in this election, adding, “It is clear that the election outcomes cannot be seen as a success for us."

Uçar pointed out that her party had been subjected to detention and arrest operations for political reasons since the first day of the election campaign. She said: “We were subjected to a government crackdown during the entire election campaign with the Kobanê Trial and the closure case. The closure case, like the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, prevented an equal and fair election race in Turkey.”

GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN AND ELECTION FRAUD

Uçar continued: “During the election campaign, hundreds of our friends were detained and imprisoned through a new political operation every day, creating conditions in which our most fundamental right, the right to democratic politics, was undermined. In many places, the government encouraged racist attacks on our party activities. The People's Alliance used all kinds of public resources and power to their advantage during the election period. The government crackdown and election fraud tipped the balance in the results of the election.”

“In the meantime, we are aware of our responsibility to take the message of the voters seriously and make criticism and self-criticism in all aspects, and we will do what is necessary. We will carry out an extensive evaluation on the deficiencies and shortcomings we encountered during the election campaign. We will conduct discussions with our people and will take the necessary steps,” Uçar noted.

'WE WILL DO WHAT'S NEEDED IN THE SECOND ROUND'

“Our people and millions who voted for the Green Left Party should feel relieved. We will fulfil the historical role, mission and responsibility given to us by our people concerning the presidential elections which are heading for a second round. We will continue our work without losing our hope and enthusiasm. We will evaluate the second round of the elections at all the authorized boards of our party, and we will share our work program with our people and the public as soon as possible."

Uçar pointed out that the presidential election went to a second round thanks to the altruistic and self-sacrificing attitude of the HDP and Green Left voters who were in favour of democracy and justice. She said: “In this context, we would like to express our gratitude to all our fellow party members once again. We consider it important to maintain our position as the third largest party in the parliament after an unfair election amid a critical period. With this in mind, we will continue our struggle. We will ensure that democratic politics provides a basis for a solution to all problems.”

Uçar remarked that “No one should give way to pessimism and despair,” and emphasized that the struggle to end the one-man regime would continue.

'WE WILL DISCUSS THE LOSS OF VOTES'

HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar answered journalists' questions. Asked whether entering the elections under the banner of the Labour and Freedom Alliance “caused a loss of votes”, Sancar replied that “We have certain losses”. He stated: “we said and defended that a single list was the most appropriate formula. However, we always cared about protecting the alliance. Such risks are likely to occur within alliances. We faced some of these risks in these elections. We will discuss this with our own boards and allied parties.”

Sancar revealed that his party saw a decrease in votes throughout the country. He added: “This decrease is more striking in western provinces. For a more detailed assessment, we need to see the official results. There is a failure in question. It is a problem for us that we get fewer votes in the western part of the country. We need to discuss its reasons together with the voting rates. If we have deficiencies and shortcomings, we will address them with criticism and self-criticism.”