Demirtaş Says Eastern Turkey In No Condition To Hold Elections

The co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has voiced concerns about election security and said the conditions in the country's east are not suitable for a snap vote slated for November.

Turkey will go to the ballot boxes on Nov. 1 because the political parties failed to establish a coalition government following the June 7 general election.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament on Wednesday, Demirtaş said he has been briefed about the circumstances in the east, which has been beset by acts of violence since July, by his party's deputies, who told him that it would be very difficult to hold an election.

"Under these circumstances [of violence], it is impossible to establish ballot boxes, hold the election or engage in election campaigning. I think this is the goal of the AKP [Justice and Development Party]. But if it really wants to, it can make sure those election circumstances are in place in one day," Demirtaş said.

The HDP co-chair also said if the AK Party and Erdoğan see a fall in the AK Party's vote, they may even postpone or cancel the election to prevent their defeat.

"These options seem very serious at this moment and there are unfortunately not the right conditions in the east to hold an election," he said.

When asked whether his party is thinking of boycotting the election, Demirtaş said they don't have any intention of this but only want to ensure election security.

Meanwhile, HDP deputy Altan Tan, who spoke to the Hürriyet daily in its Wednesday edition, said one wing of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan want the HDP to boycott the election.

"This is the conclusion that has been reached from their statements. But I don't know whether this is the decision of the entire Kurdish political movement or a certain group. We need to look at this. For instance, I don't think [jailed PKK leader Abdullah] Öcalan would approve of such a thing [boycotting the election]. We see that one wing of the PKK and President Erdoğan have such an intention," he told the daily.

Tan also said it is impossible for the HDP to boycott the election but sees such a demand coming from the PKK as legitimate and reasonable.

Deputy PM changes mind on settlement process, says it has not ended

İstanbul Today's Zaman

Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan, who earlier announced the end of the settlement process launched with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to resolve the country's long-standing terrorism problem, has reportedly said the process has not ended.

"We take the process seriously. The process has not ended," Akdoğan reportedly said during a reception at the presidential palace in Ankara held on the occasion of Victory Day on Aug. 30, according to an article by Verda Özer in the Hürriyet daily on Wednesday. Özer wrote that Akdoğan made these remarks during a private conversation with him.

However, Akdoğan suggested on June 8, the day after the June 7 general election, that the fate of the country's fragile settlement process with its Kurds might be at risk after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) lost its parliamentary majority mainly due to the rise of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

“The HDP can now only make a movie about the settlement process,” Akdoğan told reporters in Ankara, referring to the secret peace talks being conducted with the jailed leader of the terrorist PKK since 2012. “Peace is not achieved by just saying ‘peace, peace.' Now that they have 13 percent of the vote, let them call on [the PKK leadership in] Kandil and ensure the PKK lays down its arms.”

In statements before the election, Akdoğan, who oversaw the settlement process on behalf of the government, warned that the process would come to an end if the AK Party government lost support in the election. "If the AK Party government is weakened as a result of the HDP passing the election threshold, there will be no settlement process any more. That is, the settlement process will not come out stronger [from it]," he said in remarks on May 21.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)