Demirtaş: We are going up, AKP is going down
DİYARBAKIR (DİHA) - Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş has started his party's election campaign by visiting his family in the main Kurdish city of Diyarbakır.
Demirtaş visited his mother Sadiye and Tahir Demirtaş in Kayapinar district and took their benediction for upcoming 7 June general elections. He kissed his parents' hands and took a family photo with his brother, sisters and wife Başak Demirtaş. Demirtaş' brother Democratic Society Party (DTP, a closed Kurdish party) former general head Nurettin Demirtaş is in South Kurdistan and so he has not included in the meeting of family.
Demirtaş spoke to reporters and wished the general elections to become auspiciousness for all the peoples in Turkey. "We will start our election campaign on Friday. We'll introduce our deputy candidates to run for upcoming elections. The meeting will be in Ankara," added Demirtaş. He said he had not visited his family for a long time.
'We are going up, AKP is going down at once'
HDP general co-chair underlined, "We are observing a serious decline in the AKP. AKP is on the verge of losing ruling. We are about to exceeding the election threshold. We are going up, AKP is going down at once. AKP is losing its claim of government day after day. Our matter of threshold will melt away as long as this allout support continues, HDP's mission is told well and our policy spreads" answered a question concerning 10% election threshold.
'Fate of process depends on election success of HDP'
"The fate of the Kurdish peace process depends on the election success of HDP in the June 7 parliamentary election. With the election result that we will get, we will reveal the faith which will help quiet the guns forever. With this aspect, we will make a move which will facilitate the disarmament of the PKK,” Demirtaş told. “To the extent that confidence in politics grows, then reaching peace will be possible and easy for Turkey to the same extent,” Demirtaş said, underlining they didn’t specifically try to channel the PKK to politics while they were drafting their candidate list for the June 7 vote, which they officially submitted on April 7.
'Dilek Öcalan is a part of Turkey’s reality'
The nomination of Dilek Öcalan, the niece of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, on the HDP ticket led to various interpretations, as some commentators said the HDP, by this way, aimed to carry the Öcalan surname to parliament. “Dilek Öcalan is also a part of the criteria of pluralism and colorfulness,” Demirtaş said, emphasizing that Dilek Öcalan has a political background within their party, thus indicating her being Abdullah Öcalan’s niece was not her sole feature. “She is not contrary to Turkey’s reality, she is a part of Turkey’s reality,” he said, citing HDP candidates from among the Alevi, Armenian and Kurdish communities, as well as socialists and women who wear headscarves, as other elements reflecting Turkey’s reality.
(nt)
