‘Votes of Kurdish people are not to be taken for granted’

* Photo: HDP Press

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Pervin Buldan and the delegation accompanying her were in the southeastern province of Antep in the face of the closure case and attacks against the party.

Speaking at the HDP Antep Provincial Organization yesterday (July 13), Buldan said, "The first closure case against the HDP and its first process were started here with our friends taken into custody. Then, they moved to other provinces and filed a closure case against the HDP."

Buldan also referred to the visit of Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Diyarbakır on July 9:

"The President went to Diyarbakır and declared again that the elections are approaching and he wants votes from Kurds. Whenever they are against a wall, they supposedly extract natural gas from the Black Sea and find the courage to go to Diyarbakır and want votes from Kurds."

Response to Erdoğan's statement

"What right do you have to want votes from Kurds? How dare you want votes from Kurds," asked Pervin Buldan, briefly adding:

"You seize the co-mayors of the Kurdish people with trustees, you keep their MPs in prison, you punish their Presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtaş and you file a closure case against the party that received over 10 percent of the votes in the last election; then, you will look the people of Diyarbakır in the eye and say, 'Vote for me.' Get out of here. Get out of here.

"Kurds have had enough of your lies. Kurds have never been driven by such lies in any period.

We are honored and proud of the valuable processes to which the HDP contributed and which it was a part of in this country, especially the resolution process [for the Kurdish question] that [Erdoğan] talked about.

"It is not the HDP which ended the resolution process; it is exactly what is to be expected from a government and a ruling party as well as the President representing the country who said, 'I don't recognize this agreement, I didn't start this process' right after the Dolmabahçe Agreement, inflicted atrocity and oppression in this country from June 7 to November 1, has everyone arrested in this country and shows disrespect for Kurds' will."

Kurdish question and Nation's Alliance

At this point, Buldan also addressed the Nation's Alliance of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and İYİ Party:

"We also say it to the Nation's Alliance: Whoever wants to come to power and govern this country must solve the Kurdish question, which is the greatest problem of this country.

No one should think that the votes of Kurdish people are to be taken for granted. Kurds are not bound to anyone, they are not condemned to anyone, either. You need to recognize the HDP and Kurds as your addressees.

"Especially in the last elections, in İstanbul elections and in Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Mersin and Antalya elections, the unions of democracy forces were - of course - important.

"But no one should expect the same attitude from us in the next process; everyone should know that we will not show the same attitude." (DŞ/SD)