HDP co-chair, Sezai Temelli, was in Siirt on Sunday as part of the election campaign for the 24 June elections. 

Recalling that only three weeks are left before the vote, Temelli directly confronted President Erdogan who visited Diyarbakır on Sunday. 

“Three weeks left - Temelli said - and he his still going out and coming around us. As we existed in these past 16 years of rule. As if in these 16 years whatever happened to this country was coming from us. He has nothing to say. He run out of words. He just keeps repeating the promises he made in 2002”.

Erdogan was going to Diyarbakır on Sunday, Temelli reminded. “What is he going to tell Diyarbakır people? What is he going to talk about? He would go to Diyarbakır, meet with his Kurdish brothers and complain about us. Kurds, he would teach us a lesson. Sure they would be confused. Kurds, he will give you a certificate in Diyarbakır, he will give you a certificate from politics”.

Why did he not get Bahçeli with him?

Temelli insisted on addressing Erdogan. “What are you going to say in Diyarbakır? - he said - For example, why did not you take Bahçeli with you? like you were together in Ankara and you made the wolf sign together, perhaps you could have come here as well. Let's see what Diyarbakır would have said”.

Temelli went on: “Tell us, why did you oppose the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan? Tell Diyarbakır. Or tell Diyarbakır what you did in Afrin. It easy in Ankara. Because when they go to Diyarbakir”.

We do not have time to listen to them anymore, said Temelli in Siirt. “They have sold people lies. It's the same thing all along. They promise to lift prohibitions, and we live under Emergency State. They promise to end corruption and there is no public institution that is not corrupted. They promise to end poverty and everyone is poor”.

The HDP, said Temelli, “for 16 years has been fighting for peace in this country. As HDP, we will bring peace anywhere in Turkey, we have been the voice of democracy. We said that if democracy comes to this country, first of all we need to solve the Kurdish question. If democracy comes to this country, peace needs come to this country. If you want to solve the Kurdish problem, you must also solve the problem of democracy”.

Temelli added: “We have never given up on democracy and peace struggle. Because Turkey has a problem of democracy all around: unemployment, poverty. These problems are all connected. If you want to solve any of these problems, you should address them equal determination”. 

Reminding of the thousands of HDP members and executives in prison Temelli said: “They have arrested up to the co-chairs of our party, Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş. How are you talking about peace and democracy in Turkey when you arrest those who fight for them, ban them from politics, ignore the will of the people. Diyarbakır will give you the best answer today”.