HDP calls for a snap election: ‘All this poverty is a harbinger of disaster’

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Spokesperson Ebru Günay held a press conference at the party headquarters in Ankara today (October 23).

In her speech, Günay has addressed a series of current issues in the country, especially the 2021 Budget Proposal submitted to the Parliament this week, the operation against the HDP provincial and district organizations in Diyarbakır and the attacks targeting refugees in Turkey.

Underlining that the operations cannot silence the HDP, Günay has said, "The government keeps on committing crimes against democratic politics. With your political operations, fabricated grounds and fake statements, you will not manage to deter even a single one of us from struggling. We will keep on working and struggling under any circumstances."

'Budget proposal is an eclipse of reason'

Günay has also denounced the 2020 Budget Proposal, indicating that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) "is acting like nothing changed in the economy, healthcare and education, in short, in all social spheres in the country in 2020." Accusing the party of disregarding poverty, unemployment, debt and, more importantly, the pandemic, Günay has defined this attitude as an "abdication of reason."

Referring to the "Who are you?" video of the AKP's Youth Organization, which has recently caused public backlash on social media, Günay has said,

"We are the ones who are in need of bread. We are the ones who cannot bring bread to home because we cannot sell a single thing all day long. We are the ones who cannot find a job despite graduating from top universities. We are the women whose labor is exploited everyday and who are most deeply affected by the problem of unemployment.

"We are the farmers whose crops remain in the field without being harvested. We are the laborers whose wages can suffice only for a week."

Referring to the ruling AKP and the allying Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), HDP Spokesperson Günay has underlined that "the AKP-MHP alliance cannot manage Turkey's economy" and added, "All this poverty, unemployment, bankruptcy and debt is a harbinger of disaster."

Call for a snap election

Referring to the pandemic, Günay has raised concerns that the country's education system has collapsed during the pandemic: "Education system is not a test site where you can change things whenever you want. The changes you have made affect the lives of millions of young people."

Calling on the government within this context, Günay has said, "If you really want to find a solution for the deep crisis that you have driven Turkey into in education and several other fields, you should either resign or accept that you cannot manage the country and decide to hold snap elections. This is what the peoples of Turkey expect and demand from you."

'You use refugees as a leverage'

Concluding her remarks, Günay has raised concerns about the attacks against refugees in several cities of Turkey.

Accusing the AKP government of "using refugees as a leverage against the European Union (EU) and not giving them the status of refugees as required by the international law," Günay has noted that "the crimes committed against refugees end in impunity most of the time and this leads to further abuse and physical violence against them." (DŞ/SD)