Selahattin Demirtas’ statement and the parties’ self-critical process

The former co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, who has been in prison since 4 November 2016, has publicly criticized himself and his party, while the HDP has announced a restructuring process. The HDP, which has also been criticized by its supporters for failing to achieve the targeted success in the elections, has announced that it will hold a congress this year after a process of criticism and self-criticism. In an interview with the newspaper Arti Gercek, Selahattin Demirtas announced his decision to quit active politics, while at the same time commenting on the problems and shortcomings.

In the interview, Demirtas shared his thoughts on the post-election period, calling Erdogan’s balcony speech in which he said that Demirtas would not be released from jail and his supporters chanting “Execution for Selo” a “medieval scene”. Responding to a question about what awaits the country from now on, he said that Turkey will become more authoritarian, impoverished, polarized and more dependent on foreign countries. The imprisoned politician said that if he were not in prison, he would have contributed to the grassroots by setting concrete goals and inspiring the masses to rise up.

He also responded to criticism that he was practicing populist politics: “I respect the criticism that I have made the principles of the HDP invisible through populist politics. Apart from those who confuse popularity with populism, I understand all these criticisms. For my part, I do not think there is any point in trying to force it from now on. If my friends insist on saying this, they must know something and we all have the right to expect a better performance from them”. Demirtas, who told the party’s headquarters months ago that he would not be active in politics after the elections, said that his criticisms and suggestions to the party were all well-intentioned, constructive and intended to make a contribution, adding: “No one should try to use my criticism to wear down the HDP. I am and will remain a member of the HDP.” He also stresses that the fault is not in the HDP line but in its practice. Therefore, he believes, it is not the HDP that should be abandoned, but its shortcomings and mistakes.

In order to avoid misunderstandings, the former co-chair of the HDP emphasized that he had neither resigned from the HDP nor from any other task. He made the following statement about his ties with the party: “We have a law of comradeship based on trust with the HDP. Our shortcomings and mistakes are mutual and we criticize each other as comrades and we move forward together. Our party, the HDP, must carry out this process of self-criticism by holding comprehensive, well-attended public meetings in all localities. These meetings should also be a basis to proceed to the big congress by taking the opinions, suggestions and criticisms of the people. What we need most is democracy within the party. If democracy within the party decreases, deviations and mistakes will follow one after the other”.

The HDP, which launched a renewal process after the elections, responded to Demirtas’ criticism in a press statement. HDP spokeswoman Ebru Günay said: “His criticism and self-criticism are valuable. We do not have a problem with dialogue on this issue”. Günay announced that they will carry out the necessary criticism and self-criticism and hold the big congress after the party’s executive meetings. The HDP is not the only party to be conducting intensive internal post-election evaluations. Meanwhile, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which has also failed to meet its targets, is holding meetings to respond to its supporters’ expectations for “change”.