HDP victory 'sigh of relief' for Turkey, says leader

ANKARA 

The Peoples’ Democratic Party’s entry into the Turkish parliament after the June 7 general election would be a "sigh of relief" for the country, the party’s co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas said on Wednesday.

Demirtas said drafting a new constitution “should be our number one mission” after the election.

“Turkey will breathe a sigh of relief because during the drafting process all who have been alienated, degraded and ignored would be in the parliament under HDP's banner," he said in a speech in Istanbul.

The pro-Kurdish party, known as the HDP, is running as a party for the first time and must win at least 10 percent of votes to secure any seats.

Previously, independent lawmakers have joined the party after being elected to give the party a voice in the Grand National Assembly.

Seven poll surveys conducted in April put the HDP vote at between 8.9 and 11.4 percent.

Rather than running as independent candidates, which would give them individual victories in the mainly Kurdish southeastern provinces, HDP lawmakers have decided to run as a party. The risk is they face exclusion from the assembly unless they pass the threshold.

Demirtas said that even if the HDP succeeds, the threshold would continue to be a problem because of its anti-pluralistic nature.

"Yes, we have a threshold issue,” he said. “We have taken a risk, but are going to go over this threshold with the people's support.”

The election will see 550 deputies elected. Voting has already begun among Turks abroad, with around 70,000 having cast their ballots.