The Labour and Freedom Alliance is continuing its campaign for the 14 May General Elections in Kurdistan and Turkey. Özgür Zeydanoğlu, Party Assembly Member of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), spoke to ANF about the HDP closure case, the Labour and Freedom Alliance's election campaign and the expectations of the peoples of Turkey.

DENIAL AND DESTRUCTION CONTINUE

Zeydanoğlu said that the HDP had 40 years of political tradition and that it is necessary to go back further to understand the closure case against the party. “We also need to address the reasons for the closure of political parties. The closure case is based on the exclusion of the Kurdish people from politics and preventing their legitimate demands. As we enter the centenary of the Republic, the denial and destruction against the Kurdish people continue.”

RESISTANCE AGAINST ATTACKS

Zeydanoğlu continued: “The exclusion of the Kurds and the HDP's demands and activities to democratize Turkey are main issues in the closure case. The crackdown on the HDP was introduced in the 2015 elections, which were a milestone for Turkey and Kurdistan. For the first time, Turkish and Kurdish people came together around democracy and the Kurdish question. Our party received more votes than the electoral threshold (10 percent), receiving broad social support. In the 2015 June elections, the HDP received votes in the Black Sea region and in Central Anatolia. This led to the emergence of violent attacks against the HDP. The point is that the fascist regime seeks to put the Kurds out of politics and prevent the HDP's policy of embracing the entire Turkey. Of course, before the closure case, we had already been subjected to a crackdown and suppression. Thus, resistance emerged against the crackdown and suppression. The closure case seeks to destroy and block this resistance.”

THE KURDISH PEOPLE WILL NEVER REMAIN WITHOUT A PARTY

Zeydanoğlu stressed that the HDP and its components have the edge over its rivals, explaining: “Firstly, we have an advantage in terms of the electorate. You can close down a party and put an end to its corporate identity, but if the people you are doing politics with are still there, there is not much that can be done. In fact, there are not many measures we can take. Because we have taken precautions from the very beginning. Our voters remain loyal to the party. There is huge solidarity among our voters. If our party’s grassroots are growing, the rest is technical issues. The Kurdish people will never remain without a party. We are a political movement accustomed to party closures.”

HDP IS A VERY IMPORTANT ACTOR

Addressing the 2023 elections in May, Zeydanoğlu remarked: “We do not think that the closure case will drive us into a corner. This process requires more sensitivity, more struggle, more attention. The HDP is not a classical establishment party. Many parties were established and came to power in this country, but then disappeared. However, the HDP is a 40-year-old political party and always plays a strategic role. Because the Kurdish question and the democratization of Turkey, which are HDP’s main concerns, are very important issues that concern the future of Turkey's Kurds and Turks. Therefore, the HDP’s cause in itself makes the HDP an important party. Current circumstances have made the party into a very important actor. Today, the country is run by the AKP-MHP fascist government and there is an ongoing fascism. The HDP is a party that has fought the AKP-MHP fascism the most, paid a huge price, but did not back down from the resistance. If we are discussing the dissolution and disintegration of the AKP today, we should see the contribution of the HDP's struggle.”

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTIONS

Zeydanoğlu emphasized that the 2023 elections would be one of the most important elections in the history of Turkey. He added: “The damage caused by the 21-year AKP rule has become unbearable. The election in May is therefore very important. Also, these elections are of great importance to the Kurdish people. We have completed our preparations accordingly. We are preparing for the election with the Labour and Freedom Alliance. We offer a third way. The Labour and Freedom Alliance is a bloc for Turkey's unification. The Labour and Freedom Alliance has caused great excitement and hope among the voters.”

THIRD WAY OFFERS A DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVE

“All political parties that have emerged in the Republic of Turkey for 100 years have failed to present a different alternative to the public. The Labour and Freedom Alliance offers a third way, a different way. The alliance has been welcomed enthusiastically in the country. The alliance holds together valuable ideas and parties within itself. The alliance favours labour, freedom, human rights, socialism and radical democracy and offers solutions to Turkey’s problems. Therefore, the alliance of various groups and ideas makes the Labour and Freedom Alliance a powerful and active alternative. We will see its election campaign more concretely in the coming days,” Zeydanoğlu concluded.