KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-Chair, Cemil Bayık, spoke to ANF about the June 24 elections in Turkey.

Bayık warned that if the Erdoğan-Bahçeli fascist duo is to win the elections, the peoples of Turkey will be in further danger and urged the democratic forces to work united against this fascist alliance.

Bayık noted that if the AKP-MHP fascist bloc regards these elections as a chance for them they should also be considered a chance for the democratic forces to finally get rid of the fascist alliance.

Bayık asked all Turkey, Kurdistan and European socialist, liberal, Kurdish and Alevi forces to work day and night to guarantee the HDP will overcome the 10% threshold.

Cemil Bayık made the following remarks about the elections:

“Erdoğan and Bahçeli have taken a decision to call for a snap election. This was not a normal decision. Everyone correctly interprets this decision for what it is: to hold an election under pressure. Erdoğan is himself product of a coup. He could not survive nor remain in power without a coup. He is going to carry out as many coups as he would need to stay in power”.

KCK Bayık insisted: “Why was the decision to go to elections taken? Erdoğan-Bahçeli fascist duo had to admit to themselves that to hold elections at the scheduled time would mean to lose. That’s certainly true. Because the current situation in Turkey is going worse no matter where you look at, it is heading towards decay. This is because of domestic relations, but also because of external relations. Now the AKP and MHP are going to disperse. There is a crisis in the field of economy. The situation is serious, no matter from which angle you look at it. It looks disastrous for the AKP and the MHP. And for Turkey. The AKP and the MHP are doing everything they can to maintain their power. That's why early elections have been called”.

Bayık continued: “This election can be seen from different point of view: they called it in the attempt of hiding the alliance failure from the eyes of the Turkish society, but also in the hope to catch the opposition unprepared, and so force it to patch up its participation. Because the fascist alliance is so weak and close to losing, it wanted to turn the election into an opportunity for themselves. They will try to win by all mean necessary, included repression and illegal ways.

These elections are not ordinary elections. They will tell whether fascism will prevail or democracy. This is a challenge, who will win? Fascism has linked its fate to these elections, then democratic front must rise to win this struggle. It should not approach this election as if it was a normal one. It should be taken as a struggle. The power of democracy needs to be uncovered and established.

Fascism must be defeated in Turkey. Because if the AKP-MHP win, fascism will take over all Turkey. This is a major threat to all the peoples of the region and Turkey. All the dynamics of democracy must consciously approach this and consolidate their power to defeat fascism. Kurds, Alevis, liberals, intellectuals, writers, young women, they are all necessary to defeat the Erdoğan and Bahçeli fascism; democracy should deliver victory if we want to remove Turkey from this dangerous situation.

These elections are the last chance for Erdoğan and Bahçeli, but also for democracy forces. Because in these elections either democracy and democratic republic will succeed, or fascism will deepen and institutionalize.

Some people who have not been selected as candidate in this election may be uncomfortable. But because this election is different from any other, therefore it should not be contested in the usual way. They have to move around the candidates, not personal interests. Everyone should strive for the democratic forces to win. For this reason, the forces of democracy must take their place in the front for democracy.

HDP should not stay under the threshold, work is needed to avoid that. Because, as they have planned, if the HDP does not overcome the threshold, then Erdoğan and Bahçeli fascism will win. If fascism succeeds, it would mean a return to hell not only for Kurds in Turkey, but also for youth, women, liberal, socialist, authors, intellectuals. Everyone must fight to avoid such a situation.

In the past, the Kurds have contested the elections and won parliamentary and municipal representation. The Turkish state arrested them and put them into prison. For this reason, Kurds and left wing people may say that ‘contesting the elections is meaningless, useless, as what will happen is clear’. This is not the right attitude. If people don’t go to vote, if they don’t work for the HDP, then the AKP-MHP fascism will win. This will create a great danger. If you don’t wan’t to live with this danger, massacre, oppression, then the forces of democracy must  work hand in hand. And above all they have to work for the HDP. In this way, war politics will fail, massacres and bullying will end.

There are cities that Erdoğan and Bahçeli destroyed and burned; Sur, Cizre, Nusaybin, Şırnak and Yüksekova. This election is a gift for them. They need revenge. They should determine their attitude and answer to the Erdoğan-Bahçeli fascist duo. That's what is needed.

At the same time, Muslims should also fight against Erdoğan. He has nothing to do with Islam. He is doing all kinds of evil in the name of Islam, yet despite this, there are those who think they represent true and genuine Islam”.

Cemil Bayık left his last remarks for the people and democrats of Europe: “To ensure fascism in Turkey will not prevail we need to struggle. In this respect, writer, democrat, socialist groups in Europe have a big role to play. Democracy forces should work together to defeat the Erdoğan-Bahçeli fascism. In this election, young people, women, people of Turkey, liberals, socialists, Alevis, must come together against fascism. If they do so, I believe they will defeat fascism. In particular, true Muslims will oppose fascism. They will work day and night for the democratic forces to succeed. Dictatorship, fascism, war and tyranny must be overcome in these elections, so to bring them to an end.

I greet everyone and repeat to all those who feel uncomfortable with fascism, to come together and work”.