HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) central executive committee member Şamil Altan and HDK (Peoples' Democratic Congress) executive council member Ziya Ulusoy spoke to ANF before the HDK and HDP congresses which will take place in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on 26-27 October.

Şamil Altan, reminding that the HDP congress will be held under the motto "This is just the beginning", pointed out that the party will be playing a key role in Turkey for being the choice of the people. Altan said that the HDP would be the shining star of the approaching local elections with which -he underlined- people will take over the government of cities and their fate.

Referring to the June's Gezi resistance across the country, Altan stressed that the Gezi resistance has witnessed the realisation of the idea of “government of people and cities by people themselves”. The electoral process will prove the rightness of our discourses and programmatic approaches, he added.

Altan noted that democracy forces in the country have managed for the first time to create a stabilized and collective struggle during the Gezi resistance that has generated a mental revolution. “The struggle against capital forces will make it possible to form a  public unity and front”, he underlined.

According to Altan, the Gezi resistance has proved that dreams could become true but failed to be maintained on the basis of a politically organized struggle because of being a new experience.

HDK executive council member Ziya Ulusoy remarked that the HDK and HDP would also gain sympathy from the circles under the AKP hegemony should they prove to have the determination and capability to defend the social and economic rights of workers, and also inflict a blow on negative and pessimistic thoughts that it will not be easy to erode the AKP hegemony.

Ulusoy pointed out that voting for the HDP would before anything else mean strengthening the defense of democratic liberation of the oppressed peoples and beliefs, and of the social and economic rights of workers.

“This road will lead us to a democratic and free Turkey and greatly contribute to the progress of peoples, workers, and revolutionary, independent and democratic forces against all circles of the bourgeoisie”, Ulusoy added.