Diligent on election security, HDP eyes 20 pct vote in upcoming early election

ANKARA

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The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which argues preventing their party from passing the 10 percent threshold needed to get seats in parliament in the upcoming early election is a main motive for the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has ambitiously set 20 percent as their new target.

HDP co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ also underlined that providing election security was a key factor in their decision to take part in an interim government led by incumbent Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.

“We are not making a coalition with the AKP. We are not making a coalition with any party. We are fulfilling a responsibility and duty towards all peoples of Turkey,” Yüksekdağ told reporters on Aug. 26. “We have undertaken the responsibility to take part in the interim election government to have the elections held in security and in an environment which is softened by a peaceful political climate. This is a priority for us,” she said. 

“We aim to reach a vote rate which pushes the 20 percent band and may force a change of the situation in Turkey,” she said, when asked about her prospects for the snap election scheduled for Nov. 1.

In the June 7 parliamentary election, the HDP seized enough seats to deprive the AKP, founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of a working majority for the first time in more than a decade.

Earlier this month, Erdoğan reiterated the HDP was being controlled by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and blamed the party for attempting to hamper Turkey’s growth with its stance targeting his aspirations for an unencumbered presidential system.

According to a recent survey, the AKP is seen falling short of the votes needed to form a single-party government in the Nov. 1 election, with 41.7 percent of the votes, up from 40.9 percent in the June election.

The AKP lost its majority in a June 7 election for the first time since coming to power in 2002 and its leader, Davutoğlu, was appointed by Erdoğan earlier this week to form a temporary power-sharing cabinet after coalition talks collapsed. 

According to a survey by Metropoll, backing for the social democratic Republican People’s Party (CHP) was at 25.5 percent, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) at 15.7 percent and the Kurdish-problem focused HDP at 14.7 percent - a rise in its support from 13.1 percent in June.