Turkey’s progressive parties win 34% of the parliamentary vote

Turkey’s progressive parties win 34% of the parliamentary vote

Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP, Republican People’s Party) and Halkların Demokratik Partisi (HDP, People’s Democratic Party) will both be represented in the next Turkish General Assembly, with a combined vote of 34%. Both are associate members of the PES.

In the simultaneous presidental election, CHP candidate Muharrem İnce won nearly 31% of the vote, while Selahattin Demirtaş scored more than 8% despite being a political prisoner for more than a year.

PES president Sergei Stanishev said:

“With this latest election, President Erdoğan has centralised even more power in himself. We deeply regret that voting took place in an oppressive climate where opposition MPs and leaders are in jail on false charges, judges and academics have been intimidated and journalists are prevented from reporting freely.

“Nonetheless, progressive opposition parties have fought a strong campaign and we stand with them in their determination to improve the lives of Turkish citizens.

“The people of Turkey are long overdue a return to democracy, free speech and the rule of law. Democratic opposition parties hold out the only hope for this.”