The Turkish government’s utilisation of nationalist and chauvinistic rhetoric is not new,Cengiz Çiçek, the newly elected Kurdish MP for Istanbul from the Green Left Party told Mezopotamya Agency (MA) on Sunday, adding, “We have been in a coup-like environment for 10 years.”
Çiçek, who was a co-spokesperson for the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) before being elected MP, called on voters to recognise the significance of the approaching second round of the elections in shaping Turkey’s future, and highlighted the need for citizens to actively participate in the democratic process.
“Ensuring Erdoğan’s defeat in the second round is a crucial step for the future of all Turkish citizens,” Çiçek emphasised. “Our opposition to Erdoğan is not merely about endorsing an alternative political structure; it is about safeguarding our lives. The second round represents a struggle to protect our collective future. The consequences of 21 years of AKP [Justice and Development Party] rule are evident. As we approach the second round, it is essential for all our voters to mobilise as a unified force, championing democracy and freedom. We must endeavour to bring every eligible voter to the polling stations, leaving no one behind.”
Çiçek talked about the election results, pointing out that the ruling AKP failed to secure a victory in the first round despite its 21-year grip on power and its use of state resources for personal gain. Çiçek acknowledged that the elections took place in a non-democratic environment, with the government exerting pressure and launching attacks on opposition parties, particularly the Green Left Party. However, he stressed that viewing the results as a complete failure for the opposition would be unfair.
“The fact that the opposition did not secure a victory does not mean it was a complete failure,” Çiçek stated. “It is not right to view the election as a complete failure from the point of view of the opposition.”
Regarding the issue of “invalid votes,” Çiçek pointed to the pending court case calling for closure of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and their resultant participation in the elections under the Green Left Party, characterising it as political sabotage.
“The fact that a party [HDP] that had been active in politics for 11 years was faced with imminent closure by the courts, and so forced to participate in the elections under a new party [referring to the Green Left Party] was political sabotage,” Çiçek explained. “It was judicial and legal sabotage.”
Despite the challenges and setbacks, Çiçek expressed hope and urged supporters not to succumb to despair, emphasising the vulnerabilities exposed by the ruling party in the first round.
Çiçek concluded by calling for the recognition of the Kurdish people as the political epicentre and the key to a democratic resolution of the Kurdish question and the democratic future of Turkey.
