The election results clearly reflect the Turkish people’s strong desire for change, despite the ruling People’s Alliance’s efforts to create an illusion of success and hinder any meaningful discussion on this matter, jailed Kurdish politician Sebahat Tuncel wrote in a letter published by Yeni Yaşam Daily on Friday.
Following Turkey’s May elections, the opposition is engaged in ongoing discussions regarding the results. In this context, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and the Green Left Party have announced a process of reorganisation. However, within the Kurdish sphere, the focus remains task-oriented, with less emphasis on electoral defeat and more on the undemocratic nature of the elections and the people’s strong desire for change.
Sebahat Tuncel’s evaluation aligns with this perspective, proposing a restructuring centred around women’s liberation. She predicts that the inclusion of smaller Islamist political parties in the People’s Alliance will legitimise misogynistic policies and discourses within the parliamentary framework.
“Given the upcoming local elections, it is crucial that this discussion and restructuring process be conducted swiftly, without unnecessary delays, and implemented in practice as soon as possible,” emphasised Tuncel. She further highlighted that the election results unequivocally demonstrated the Turkish people’s discontent with the prevailing male-dominated and capitalist order, as well as the autocratic rule of a single individual. Tuncel stressed that a resounding demand for change has emerged, even among constituents of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
According to Tuncel, the Turkish government aims to divert attention away from the country’s real issues and focus the discussion on the opposition, thereby avoiding an honest examination of Turkey’s economic and political crisis. Tuncel argues that the government seeks to solidify a one-man regime, shape a constitution to serve its own interests, and perpetuate its power. She expresses disappointment that the opposition, initially forming the Nation Alliance, fell into this trap and became entangled in internal debates.
Arguing that Turkey does not meet the criteria for a true democracy, Tuncel labelled the system as a “dictatorship that attains power through elections.” Drawing historical parallels, she cites figures like Hitler and Mussolini, who similarly rose to power through electoral means.
As a representative of the HDP/Green Left Party, which aims to encompass the collective struggle of the Turkish and Kurdish peoples, Tuncel emphasises the need for organising around the principles of radical democracy. She believes that the HDP/Green Left Party stands as the only option to forge a liberated future, embracing diversity, equality, and democratic values.
