8 June 2015
As the final votes in the general elections in Turkey are counted, the Socialist International warmly congratulates its member parties, the CHP and the HDP, on their performance in what was a challenging election campaign that included attacks against opposition parties, in which two people were killed and over 100 injured on June 5 in the twin blasts before the HDP’s rally in Diyarbakir, and a parliamentary candidate from CHP was wounded in an armed attack in the southern province of Adana.
The Socialist International is particularly pleased that the HDP has surpassed the excessively high and undemocratic threshold of 10% for entering parliament, taking more than 12% of the vote, while the CHP held its ground on 25% of the national vote share. We equally note with great satisfaction the record number of women elected to parliament.
The result of this election is a clear endorsement by the people of Turkey of a multi-party parliamentary democracy. As Turkey enters a period of negotiations in search of a viable ruling coalition and the prospect of possible new elections, the Socialist International stands in solidarity with its member parties and all those in Turkey who seek to achieve social democratic solutions, social justice, equality of opportunities, and full respect of freedoms and right for all citizens.