JINHA

ISTANBUL – Hundreds of intellectuals, writers and artists have issued a call for solidarity with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the upcoming June 7 elections to defeat AKP dictatorship. Intellectuals say the HDP's success is key the fate of peace in Turkey and the Middle East.

Turkey has a 10% electoral threshold for a party to enter Parliament, the highest such threshold in Europe by a wide margin and among the highest in the world. Intellectuals have issued a call for solidarity with the HDP to ensure that it passes the threshold, which they will read in person at a press conference on March 29.

"This time, we're not talking about an average election," said the statement. "This time, Turkey's future will be decided in a serious way. This time, we are more responsible than ever before."

The statement called for a joint resistance effort the likes of which Turkey has not seen since Gezi that can bring together the workers, Alevis, intellectuals, pro-secular forces, artists, scientists, unions, democratic organizations, women's groups, environmentalists and LGBTQI people.

The intellectuals said that a mass solidarity movement with the HDP was the only way to reduce the AKP's dangerous amount of power in Parliament, a factor that has had serious consequences—not just for Turkey, but for peace in the Middle East. Current president Erdoğan, who hopes to centralize the Turkish political system, has been accused of playing a major role in the support of Daesh in the region and of imperialist belligerence.

Writers including Ece Temelkuran and Latife Tekin were among the signatories.

(cm)