HDP follows pro-PKK policies, loses attraction among public

Even though the HDP was presented in the beginning as a party that would unite Turkey, its reluctance to reprimand the PKK and the recent statement from HDP Co-Chair Demirtaş of explicit support for self-rule are interpreted by many as signs that the party lost its decent image in the eyes of its supporters.

HDP follows pro-PKK policies, loses attraction among public

As Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ continuously fail to condemn PKK terror and distance their party from the terrorist organization, some say custodial HDP voters and those who hoped the HDP would unite Turkey appear to be increasingly frustrated. Having sparked high hopes among anti-President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan circles with the motto: "We will not let you become [an executive] president" before the June 7 elections, the pro-Kurdish HDP entered Parliament with 13 percent of the vote thanks to some custodial voters who believed the party would represent the whole of Turkey as it had pledged in its campaign.

Everything was going well for the HDP and its new voters until the party adopted a pro-PKK policy. Seeing that, some of the HDP's custodial voters did not support the party in the Nov. 1 elections. Even though it was interpreted by some as a warning sign for the HDP, the pro-Kurdish party still continues to voice support for PKK policies. Exasperation by some over the HDP backing the PKK grew stronger when Demirtaş delivered a speech at the Democratic Public Congress (DTK) on Sunday in which he echoed full support for autonomous Kurdish self-rule in southeastern Turkey.

"Hopefully authorities will read this declaration one more time with calmness and see that self-rule [and] autonomy offer a very significant opportunity for all of us in terms of living together," he said.

On Monday, a probe was launched into Demirtaş's remarks. 

A declaration with 14 articles was unveiled at the congress. The DTK offered full backing for the so-called resistance in the southeast against which security forces launched an extensive operation to sweep out the region. 

The HDP's support for self-rule and the declaration were quickly rebuffed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın on Monday.

Davutoğlu also questioned the HDP's policy of representing the whole of Turkey. "It is obvious what kind of speeches were delivered at the DTK, a congress whose base is unknown," Davutoğlu said, adding that citizens who voted for the HDP should also ask the party about whether they became an instrument to a project that aims to divide Turkey. 

"Is the HDP a political party or an affiliate of the terrorist organization?" he asked.

Kalın held a press conference yesterday at which he levied harsh criticism at Sunday's congress. "The autonomy that was mentioned yesterday [Sunday] and other statements are by all means fantasies," Kalın said. He also contended that those who adopt a policy of anti-Turkey propaganda are being used as tools.

The HDP appears to have damaged its boosted image in some Turkish news outlets as well. Columnists for Hürriyet daily, who allegedly backed the HDP in the June 7 and Nov. 1 elections and bolstered the image of Demirtaş, slammed Sunday's congress and the HDP for its support.

Adil Zozani, a former Hakkari HDP deputy, who Demirtaş insinuated was a pro-Erdoğan figure in the party, spoke to Daily Sabah on the subject. Zozani said he has to keep silent for a while because whatever he says turns into a matter of debate. "I am a member of the HDP, yet I am not entitled to make a statement on the issue," he added.

Hikmet Genç, a columnist for Yeni Şafak daily, also spoke to Daily Sabah and commented on whether the HDP is headed to a political end. "Turkish people woke up when they saw the reality in the HDP. The HDP project has proven unsuccessful and it is over," he claimed, adding that the HDP project was launched with the idea of promoting a party that had a chance of getting into Parliament. "The process should be analyzed. All dynamics, namely the Gülen Movement, the CHP [Republican People's Party] and opposition media outlets, came together and it worked in the June 7 elections. The HDP project was designed, prepared and worked out well," Genç contended. 

Genç also claimed that the HDP would fall below the 10 percent election threshold if new elections were to be held today. "I'm assertive of the fact that the HDP would get 6 percent or 7 percent of the vote. The HDP project is absolutely over. They cannot sell it to anyone anymore," he asserted.

Daily Sabah reached out to HDP Diyarbakır deputy Altan Tan as well. Tan, however, stressed that he will make a statement regarding the congress and his party's stance and did not provide a view.

Yunus Paksoy - Daily Sabah

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