The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) will contest Turkey's parliamentary elections on 14 May under the umbrella of the Green Left Party (Yeşil Sol Parti, YSP) as the risks of running as the HDP are too great because of the ongoing proceedings to ban the party.

BastA party Co-Chair Sina Deiss and party secretary Franziska Stier stated that they would support the HDP, and thus the Green Left Party in the upcoming elections.

BastA Party Co-Chair Deiss said: “Since the HDP is our sister party, we will of course give all our support to the HDP. Our party debated on what concrete support we could offer to our comrades and friends.”

HDP OR THE GREEN LEFT

Deiss stated that they closely followed the crackdown on the HDP and that Turkey is no longer a democratic country. She emphasized that the repressive activities by the Turkish state were overlooked by the Swiss and European states. “The crackdown and closure case against the HDP show that Turkey is no longer a democratic state. Switzerland and the European states tolerate Turkey. The HDP is already familiar with the state’s pressures. It also knows how to fight them. It doesn't make any difference to us whether the party enters the elections as the HDP or the Green Left Party. No matter how they enter the elections, our solidarity and support will always continue.”

WE WILL MONITOR THE ELECTIONS

Noting that a delegation of the BastA party would monitor the elections to be held on 14 May, Deiss said: “In order to give stronger support to the international and Swiss delegations to go to Turkey, we will connect with our local networks, human rights institutions, feminist movements. We will call attention to the elections at the international level as much as possible. We believe that observer delegations will play an important role in these elections. Our foreign affairs commission member Sibel Arslan, a deputy of the federal parliament and deputy chair of the PACE, will also monitor the process. We do not want a second Cizre case to happen. Thus, it is important that international delegations and the UECD will be there.”

Deiss stressed that her party would support the election campaign of the Green Left party not only in Turkey but also in Switzerland. She concluded: “We will call for participation in the elections through social media. It is especially important that people living in Europe, Switzerland and Basel go to the polls and cast votes.”