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Selahattin Demirtaş, the imprisoned former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has given an interview to Deutsche Welle Turkish through his attorneys, evaluating the March 31 local elections.
"The result is a fiasco for the ruling bloc," said Demirtaş, who also told bianet before the elections, "I think the AKP-MHP bloc (the ruling Justice and Development Party and its ally, the Nationalist Movement Party) will be heavily punished by the people at the ballot box," in a mail interview.
"A total fiasco for the ruling bloc"
Demirtaş briefly made the following remarks in the interview:
"First of all, this needs to be underlined; the elections are by no means held in fair and equal conditions. Almost 95 percent of the media is under the control of the government. All possibilities of the state treasury are unlawfully used for the government's election campaign, in an illimitable and uncontrolled way. The judiciary, the bureaucracy, the law enforcement forces as such, are used unlawfully.
"Thousands of politicians, journalists, attorneys, students are filled in prisons. The opposition parties and especially my party, the HDP, tried and run their election campaigns under heavy pressure and threat.
"The result emerged despite all of these is a total fiasco for the ruling bloc. The opposition bloc achieved to materialize a democratic option with this election. Of course, I find this very important and meaningful."
"I am also an HDP member"
"HDP's role has been determining here. Every friend of mine who worked night and day in a self-sacrificing way has a big effort in this success.
"If I had a small contribution despite being behind bars, I'd be happy and honored. Then again, it is the success of the HDP, it would be wrong to view this as my success. Because I am an HDP member, too."
"The law is suspended"
Demirtaş also commented on HDP's rejected appeals, especially the one in the province of Muş, where it lost the election to AKP by around 300 votes.
"The district and provincial election councils act illegally by not taking the appeals by the opposition parties, including HDP, into consideration. A one-sided law that protects the government party is being applied. I am sure that if the cheating in Muş could be revealed, the result will change in favor of HDP. In many election councils, unfortunately, like in the courts, the law is suspended.
"If AKP insists on its wrong stance and the struggle for democracy continues while growing, the people will make them pay much heavier political prices." (EMK/VK)
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