Peoples’ Democracy Party calls for early elections over graft probe

ANKARA

Fellow HDP co-chair Ertuğrul Kürkçü said Turkey should not be left to choose between the AKP and the Gülen Movement. DHA photo

The recently formed Peoples’ Democracy Party (HDP) has called for early parliamentary elections over the high-level graft probe that has gripped the country.

“It won’t be possible to escape from this process by reshuffling some of the members of the Cabinet. What has to be done is to call immediately for early elections,” HDP co-chair Sebahat Tuncel said on Dec. 26 in a press statement.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced a Cabinet reshuffle on Dec. 25 after three ministers facing bribery allegations under the graft probe stepped down.

The unprecedented probe has exposed a bitter feud between the movement of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, whose followers hold key positions in the police and judiciary, and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Fellow HDP co-chair Ertuğrul Kürkçü said Turkey should not be left to choose between the AKP and the Gülen Movement. “They are like two peas in a pod. So you will not obtain anything when you copy/paste one to the other in Parliament. We don’t want a new government which will be trading with the Gülen Movement in a certain way. That’s why we ask to go directly to early elections,” Kürkçü said.

He also suggested that all the elections could be combined, referring to local elections, which will be held in March 2014, presidential elections expected to be held in September and the 2015 general elections.