People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Group Deputy Chair Sezai Temelli evaluated the current developments at the press conference he held in the Parliament. Referring to the local elections, Temelli said that they will implement a new local government approach together with the society and that the most important feature of this period is, first of all, to eliminate the damage caused by the trustees.

 

Temelli said that Turkey has settled on a very different political ground after the local elections and noted that there are many issues to be discussed regarding the March 31 local elections, and the first of these issues is the election violations they experienced. Temelli said: “As you know, months before the elections, corruption in the voter registers was exposed and we made applications regarding these. The number we determined in the Kurdish geography was up to 55 thousand. We made our objections regarding these 55 thousand people, but unfortunately, only 250 people's objections were met. The Supreme Electoral Board did not find any obstacle in the voting of approximately 55 thousand people."

 

TRANSPORTED VOTER ISSUE

 

Temelli continued: “Especially as in the Sırnak example, we have seen an important picture of who actually participated in the elections and how the election results were determined. It turns out that the General Staff Party also participated in the elections! Therefore, the mentality that understands the elections as the elections of sergeants in the garrison thinks that they are electing a mayor in Sirnak. The mayor of Sirnak does not have any constitutional authority in Sirnak and cannot walk around the streets of Sirnak. 

 

ONLY BRANCHES THAT AKP CAN STAND ON ARE THE MILITARY AND THE POLICE

 

We have experienced this kind of corruption in many districts of Bitlis and Kars. And we realized that the only branches of the AKP, which has turned into a signpost party in the region, are the military, the police, JOH, POH. There is no other branch left to hold on to. Despite this, we have achieved great success in many places. We will continue our fight for rights wherever there is such fraud and corruption, as in Sirnak. These elections need to be renewed. Because elections held with such soldiers have no repercussions in the eyes of the public or in politics.

 

THE ASSEMBLY MUST TAKE THE INITIATIVE

 

We will submit research proposals regarding this in the Parliament and our idea as a party in this process is this; The Parliament must take the initiative on this issue. This is a crisis and issue of legitimacy. Over the past 5 years, we have experienced and understood very well the depths of a country deprived of local democracy. Therefore, it is possible to end political crises as long as local democracy is strengthened. It is possible to end multiple crises as long as local democracy is strengthened. But if you try to move forward by pouring gasoline on crises, let alone solving local crises, strengthening democracy, it will not be possible for you to take steps towards democracy in Turkey, and it never has been possible. While past experience shows this, there is no benefit in insisting on such methods.

 

SIRNAK, BITLIS AND KARS ELECTIONS SHOULD BE RENEWED

 

In the coming period, the Parliament must first take steps to put an end to such practices. If necessary, elections should be renewed in Sirnak, Bitlis and Kars. Look, even the renewal of elections in Hilvan was somehow designed against us. We won the elections in Hilvan, but after the AKP municipal council members burned the votes, they tried to take away the election we won. YSK was obliged and decided to renew the elections. In the light of all this evidence, We demand that the elections be renewed as soon as possible in Sirnak, Bitlis and Kars and similar districts by reviewing the decisions and submitting them to the will of the Parliament. We will continue our fight on this issue.

 

Local elections will affect general politics as much as they affect local politics. In the coming period, nothing will continue as it was before the March 31 elections. The Parliament was shaped according to the results of the May elections; It has to take the March 31 elections into account. Only a Parliament that takes into account the political situation that emerged on March 31 can carry out healthy work. Those who did not take this picture into consideration, those who still insisted on their old agenda, those who imposed force, violence and war on the country, saw on March 31, with the will of the people, this path is not the path. Now is the time to learn from this. The parliament should definitely learn this lesson. In this sense, the Parliament must take its responsibility to ensure that Turkey has a mechanism that works within the rule of law and democracy.

 

While we defend and fight for these, the statements of the partners in power continue to appear before us with a language that evokes war and uses discrimination as the most politically important discourse, as in the March 31 elections. We are faced with an understanding of power that has become capable of speaking even to the ballot box. The ballot box is already in ruins. Even though you have committed all kinds of fraud and corruption, if that ballot box still teaches you a lesson in democracy, you have to respect the results of that ballot box. It is not possible and will not be possible for you to survive by ignoring the results of the ballot box.

 

THE VICTIMS OF WAR ARE THE PEOPLE

 

War continues to engulf the Middle East and leave deep pain. The crisis between Iran and Israel and the latest images of war show us that an even bigger war is on our doorstep. There is no doubt that the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza and Iran's reactions to it, this relationship between the two states through war with each other, is a great cruelty, a great destruction on behalf of the people of the Middle East. Both states have oppressive, authoritarian, fascistic regimes. They are regimes that do not hesitate to oppress their own people, do not refrain from oppressing the Palestinian people, and do not refrain from oppressing the Iranian people. 

 

A POLITICAL FUTURE THAT BENEFITS FROM WAR

 

When you think of war, the Kurdish issue comes to your mind unquestionably. We watched a Minister of Foreign Affairs, a Head of the National Intelligence Organization, and a Minister of Defense with a sense of diplomacy that avoided the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue and constantly wandered around the Middle East in war scenarios. And a political future that still hopes for war, a mentality that wants to resolve the issue of prosperity, is now almost fueling the fire in the entire Middle East. However, if the Kurdish issue is wanted to be solved; If a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue had been possible, if Rojava had gained its status today, if the Federated Kurdish State in Northern Iraq had established its autonomy on much stronger grounds, this would not have happened to the people of Gaza today. Today, the Middle East would not be dragged into much greater pain.

 

IMRALI ISOLATION MUST BE ENDED

 

So, how can the Kurdish issue be solved? The Kurdish issue is possible with a democratic solution. Those who run away from the democratic solution have actually dragged both Turkey, the Middle East, the Palestinian people and other peoples into this vortex. In this sense, the Turkish state is responsible for these developments. It is responsible; because instead of solving the issues it deepened the issues. That's why a democratic and peaceful initiative in Turkey requires paving the way for the Kurdish issue. This step is undoubtedly possible by ending the isolation. Ending the isolation is the most powerful and important step that can be taken in this sense. Now, Turkey must fulfill its responsibility in this matter, as soon as possible, as required by the law. The isolation on Mr. Abdullah Ocalan must be end immediately.

 

ECONOMY IS DEVELOPING IN A DISASTER SCENARIO

 

Dear press workers, as you know, the budget has exceeded 500 billion liras deficit in the first quarter. This makes approximately 20 billion dollars. We are faced with such a figure in the first quarter. Therefore, we are all watching together what a disaster scenario the economic course is developing. We actually knew how big the budget deficit would be when this budget was being prepared. It will grow even bigger. Because the first quarter figure actually heralds that the estimated budget deficit will be much higher than expected at the end of the year. There was a target of 2.6 trillion. This will be overcome. We understand this from today. Why do we understand? Because AKP did not make a healthy budget.

As in the past, the budget it made is a war budget, capital budget, plunder budget, corruption budget. We said from the very beginning that it would not be possible to solve Turkey's issues with such a budget and that the year would not end with this budget.

 

18 BILLION DOLLARS IS A PROJECT RESOURCE

 

Just as an additional budget was made in the past years, we estimate that we will have another additional budget in a few months. Because the course of events shows this. Even though the finance minister gave good news to Turkey that it found a resource of 18 billion from the World Bank, this is a project resource. It is a resource allocated for the next 2024-2028 period. We know very well that this resource is not a resource that will provide stability to combat these issues or overcome the crisis. Look, charity from the World Bank, the IMF, the World Trade Organization will never provide any development for the benefit of the people of Turkey. It only provides an improvement in favor of capital.

 

WHERE WILL TURKEY FIND THESE RESOURCES?

 

Capital owners and rich people add to their wealth and increase their wealth day by day, but whenever a loan comes from the World Bank, unemployment increases, corruption and poverty increase, and the country becomes more indebted. Today, Turkey's debt has exceeded 500 billion dollars. If we include foreign currency protected deposits and domestic foreign currency debts in Turkey; This figure has reached 633 billion dollars. It should not be forgotten that even in an environment where tourism revenues alone cover the current account deficit, Turkey's one-year short-term debt ratio is 226 billion dollars. Where will this resource be found? In order to find this source, the President of the Central Bank says that the minimum wage should be increased once a year, and the Minister of Treasury and Finance says that we cannot give more raises to retirees. People are living with poverty wages, but both the Treasury Minister and the Central Bank Governor see the workers and the poor as the address to get out of this crisis, and they are looking for new measures to squeeze their throats.

 

WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

 

What are they doing? They are increasing inflationary pressure. Even though TUIK tries to hide it, annual inflation has reached 140 percent. The unfelt explains it as 70 percent, but we know that the felt reaches 140 percent. Debts are increasing, and as debts increase, people's debt interest burden increases. How Does? By increasing consumer loan interest and credit card interest. However, when people who are barely making ends meet are trying to survive with loans and credit cards, where should the scalpel be placed? Instead of transferring resources to capital, wealth and rent should be taxed. Unless these are done, it will not be possible to achieve economic stability.

 

CALL TO PARTICIPATE IN KOBANÊ HEARING

 

As you know, there is a decision hearing of the Kobanê Conspiracy Case on Wednesday, April 17th. In fact, calling this a case would be a betrayal of the law. We are faced with a complete conspiracy case. As you know, the first judge of this court turned out to be a gang member. When you look at this indictment, you will understand very well how and by whose hands this indictment was prepared, when you look back at the July 15 process. Therefore, those who were instrumental in this conspiracy are now busy creating all kinds of public pressure to impose a heavy penalty on our party and our co-chairs.

 

However, our friends, co-chairs, Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ, Sebahat Tuncel, Gültan Kışanak and many of our friends who were tried in this case have shattered this indictment. They put this unlawful order, this illegal order on trial. Therefore, this case is null and void. This indictment is null and void, this opinion is null and void. We do not accept this opinion or this case. We will show together that we do not accept it by meeting at the Sincan High Criminal Court on April 17 at 10:00 in the morning, meeting in court, and expressing our reaction with all our might. From here, I would like to call out to the entire public, all non-governmental organizations, unions, labor and professional organizations, and all democratic publics who are sensitive to democratic mass organizations; Let's all condemn this conspiracy in Sincan, which we call the Kobanê Conspiracy Case, and put an end to this conspiracy."