The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party has called on both the government and opposition in Turkey to “break their shells” and move beyond entrenched partisan calculations in favour of a unified approach to peace and democratic reform.
A written statement issued by the party’s Central Executive Committee on Thursday 22 May described the current political juncture as a “historic crossroads” for peace in Turkey. Speaking the following day, DEM Party spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan warned that peace cannot be achieved through short-term political manoeuvring.
“We need a holistic approach, not one that weighs whether a statement benefits DEM, the ruling AKP, the opposition CHP or any other party,” Doğan said.
Her comments come amid renewed momentum for resolving the decades-long Kurdish conflict, following a peace appeal issued on 27 February by Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and the PKK’s 12th congress decision to formally end its organisational activities. The DEM Party considers these developments a historic opportunity to relaunch dialogue between the state and the Kurdish movement.
Doğan emphasised that the burden of change lies not only with the DEM Party. “Anyone who demands transformation must begin with themselves,” she said, inviting all political actors and citizens to take part in reshaping Turkey’s democratic future. “This moment requires a new language, a new method, and a new political style.”
The DEM Party, rooted in the broader Kurdish political movement, has long advocated a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue, including an end to the Turkish state’s “trustee policy” of removing elected Kurdish mayors and replacing them with state-appointed officials.
The party’s 22 May report stressed both the potential and the risks of the current moment. While praising Öcalan’s call for a “new phase”, it warned that without active engagement from all sides, the opportunity could be lost. “This process will either lead to a democratic transformation or be buried under continued conflict and repression,” the report said.
Highlighting regional instability, the DEM Party also pointed to the war in Gaza and broader tensions across the Middle East as adding urgency to resolving Turkey’s internal problems. It underlined that lasting peace must involve the active participation of women, youth, and workers, calling them the “most dynamic forces” of any democratic society.
The party dedicated its 22 May meeting to the memory of its late deputy speaker Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a leading figure in past peace talks who died earlier this month. It pledged to continue the legacy of dialogue and resistance he embodied.
“The responsibility for peace rests with us all,” Doğan said. “This is the time to reshape the future – not through competition, but through collective courage.”
