Survival chances of HDP for upcoming presidential elections

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is a left-wing party that includes most of the communities of Turkey. The Turkish government describes it as the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey. The HDP won 13 percent of the votes in the 2015 elections and entered the Turkish Parliament by crossing the 10 percent barrier required as a single party bloc. It is considered the first left-wing party to enter the Turkish Parliament.

The HDP was founded in 2012 after the peace negotiations launched by the leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, from the place of his captivity. Salah al-Din Demirtas claimed the presidency of the HDP who was called “Obama of the Kurds” in Turkey as a result of his popularity among the communities of the Turkish society. After his arrest and trial, a new presidency was elected for the party.

The HDP defends the rights of the oppressed in Turkey, especially the Kurds. It calls for fighting exploitation, handing over power to the people and changing Erdogan’s regime, which lacks legitimacy and democracy in Turkey. It is considered one of the first parties to lead the party equally between the two genders.

Demirtas ran in the previous presidential elections in Turkey and obtained 9.7 percent of the vote. He also participated in the municipal elections in 2014 with the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). Together, they grabbed the presidency of more than a hundred municipalities in Kurdish-majority areas from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). With all the successes achieved by it, the Ankara government has been putting obstacles in front of the HDP successes for some time, arresting its members and closing its offices in Turkish cities for political reasons and flimsy arguments that have nothing to do with reality. The latest Turkish practice against the party was the Turkish Constitutional Court, with all its members, cutting off financial support, and prior to the upcoming elections in June 2023.

Commenting on the matter, the HDP said that the decision to freeze the financial support allocated to the party is a usurpation of the rights applied by order of the court, and that this decision prevents the conduct of free, fair and democratic elections, and it is a disregard for the will of the voters in the country.

It added that the AKP relies on stiffening the opposition in order to curtail its role in the upcoming elections, amid the significant decline in Erdogan’s popularity.

HDP options  

The HDP has several options, whether it remains an official party or the Turkish authorities ban it prior to the elections, including:

• Agreeing with the opposition parties on a major program that includes justice, peace and democracy, in addition to agreeing on a joint presidential candidate to win the upcoming elections from the first round and unite the struggle and democratic activity in the country in a way that serves the interests of the people to overthrow Erdogan and his party.
• In the event that the order is issued by the Turkish authorities and by a direct order from Erdogan through the Supreme Constitutional Court in Turkey to close the HDP and its offices, the party has no choice but to run on independent lists and with individual names to be agreed upon.
• The Kurds are preponderant in any elections that take place in Turkey, and it is indispensable for the votes of the Kurds, who are inclined by any party except the opposition or the ruling regime. The best example of this is the past municipal elections when the Kurds voted for Ekrem Imamoglu and won the mayorship of Istanbul.

In conclusion, the issue of elections is important and crucial for Erdogan, who wants to crown his 21-year rule with another 5 final years, while the opposition believes that it has an opportunity to overthrow Erdogan’s rule due to the deteriorating living and economic conditions, high inflation, price increases, the decline in the exchange of the lira, and blatant interference in the affairs of the Arab countries and the occupation of Syrian lands. All these are an opportunity to win the elections at the expense of the defeat of Erdogan and his party.