Important blow against Fascist-Islamist Erdogan in Turkish elections

A victim of anti-HDP terrorist attacks votes in spite of all

The good news are two: on one side the theocratic reactionary AKP of Erdogan has lost the majority and won't be able to reform the constitution in favor of his theocratic ideals, on the other side the leftist internationalist People's Democratic Party (HDP), which gathers Kurdish and Turkish activists alike and the only party presenting a truly progressive program, has breached the extremely high 10% threshold and reached 13% of the vote, rallying many people, particularly in the ethnic-Turkish areas, that would have otherwise not voted or maybe picked up the lesser evil of the Kemalists (CHP), who in this poll gathered 25% of the vote.

The bad news are that the other fascist party, the ultra-nationalist MHP (whose youth or militant branch are the feared Grey Wolves: your usual bonehead nazis in Turkish version), becomes third force with 16%. It is very possible that both fascist parties form a government coalition, which will mean no significant change in the extremist policies that Turkey is prosecuting both inside and outside its borders in the last times. 

The results in terms of seats in the Grand National Assembly are:

• AKP: 255 (-72)
• CHP: 135 (=)
• MHP: 82 (+29)
• HDP: 80 (+51, compared with 29 Kurdish nationalist delegates who joined the party after its formation but were elected as independents).

Overall it is a notable turn to the left by 51 seats (almost 10% of the Assembly) but there is obviously a long way to go yet. 

In any case I have to congratulate the HDP comrades for their notable success and for opening the door of hope in the Turkish state. Themselves see this breakthrought as a first step for maybe even victory in the upcoming elections.

Main data source: Naiz Info[es].


Update (Jun 12): HDP performance by geography

Results obtained by Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) by province.
     0-10%        10-20%        20-30%        30-40%        40-50%        50-60%        60-70%        70-80%        80-90%

While the support obtained by the HDP outside Kurdistan was important, notably in Istanbul, Izmir and Cilicia, as well as in the Alevi (crypto-Armenian) province of Tunceli, it is apparent that most ethnic Turkish voters remained cautious about it preferring other opposition choices such as the CHP (mostly in the West) and MHP (mostly in the interior).

I find intriguing the high support for the HDP in the provinces bordering Armenia that are not usually considered to dominated by the Kurdish ethnicity: Kars, Ardahan and even Erzurum. It seems apparent that other ethnic groups, be them Azeris or crypto-Armenians (whose actual numbers are not really known) or even Turks have decided it was their party of choice.

The support for the HDP in Turkey proper was clearly concentrated in the most progressive urban provinces, where the popular uprisings against Erdogan have been strongest.

See other maps at Wikipedia. The AKP still commands strong support in rural Anatolia, being also the only Turkish nationalist party with some serious presence in Kurdistan itself.


Update (June 12): S. Demirtas (HDP) calls for a radical democracy.

Relevant post-election article by the hand of the Turkish co-leader of the HDP at LINKS International.

The introduction (by LINKS) underlines that the HDP got all seats in six Kurdish provinces, as well as eleven seats (out of 88) in Istanbul (the largest West Eurasian city and the fifth largest on Earth), that 40% of its MPs are women and that it fielded the only openly gay candidate, as well as many members of ethnic minorities (not just Kurds, also Yezidis, Armenians and Assyrians).

Demirtas speaks for democracy, transparency, peace, tolerance and respect, freedom, ecology,  education, a greater role for youth and women and worker class organization. In this sense he promises the setting up of "people's assemblies" and other popular organisms to control the state and force the fascist hand of Erdogan.