Labor Party, Turkey: Ruling parties, which caused the major problems facing people, cannot be the solution
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Labor Party (EMEP), Turkey.
The elections on 24 June took place under conditions of OHAL (State of Emergency), inequality, media monopoly and the oppressive, polarizing political discourse of the government. Therefore, Erdoğan’s declaration of a “celebration of democracy” – which he based on high participation – does not reflect reality. You cannot claim that the election was just or it took place under free conditions and equal opportunity of propaganda: the ‘Presidential Alliance’ recklessly used all resources of the government and turned its oppression into physical violence; causing the death of 5 people in a bloody election, the legitimacy of which will continue to be a topic of argument.
Despite the perceived confirmation at the ballot box of Erdoğan’s presidency and the transition to a new regime, it is clear that a considerable section of society does not agree with a ‘one-man regime.’
Ruling parties, the very source of the problems faced by society, cannot solve the problems they created. AKP and its allies are the architects of high unemployment, corruption, politics of oppression, violence and warmongering; these problems will multiply and increase under continued rule of these parties and lives of the whole society will be affected by its catastrophic consequences.
The presidential system, based on a “one-man regime” devised for continued leadership of Erdoğan, is a political system designed to serve interests of the financial class. It is clear that people will be made to pay the bill for economic downturn, including high international debt; a prescription of harsh decisions will be served; and oppression will increase in this difficult period. Hence , through its post-election statement, TÜSİAD (Turkish Industry and Business Association) gave the executive the task to reform and to spread the tax burden to the substrata. The leadership never refrained from using peoples’ support as a basis for aggressive policies and there is no guarantee that it will do otherwise from now on. It can be seen today that living and working conditions of all sections of society – and primarily the working class – will worsen. Nevertheless, these aggressive policies; banning of strikes, price hikes, limiting of democratic rights and freedoms, warmongering both at home and abroad will also increase the predicament of the government.
During the election the “Presidential Alliance” was declared to be “local and national” and those that did not support it were claimed to be terrorists. The election results cannot be democratic when the campaigns of both the HDP and the parties in the “People’s Alliance” were openly attacked. The indication that this aggression will not be limited to the election period, but continue during building of the new political regime can be found in Erdoğan’s statements.
The conflict between those restructuring the regime in line with the interests of the monopolies and those struggling for the rule of the people, democracy, rights and freedoms and demanding peace and equality did not end with the election; it will continue.
Our party will strive to fulfil its duty to make sure workers and laborer’s, whom have voted for Erdoğan and the Presidential Alliance in the hope that they will fix the mounting problems of the country, will see how big an error this has been; and to make sure they will join the rest of their class and throw themselves into a struggle for their own futures and liberation.
The one-man regime will take aggressive economic, social and political decisions that will directly impact on the working and living conditions, and will target all democratic gains, rights and freedoms of workers and laborer’s and all other sections of the society. Regardless of the result at the ballot box, our struggle against the one-man regime will continue.
Labor Party (EMEP), Turkey