14 May elections: The big deception

15.05.2023

https://www.tkp.org.tr/en/agenda/the-initial-evaluation-by-tkp-central-committee-on-the-14-may-election-results-the-big-deception/

Defeating the AKP by becoming like the AKP was a great illusion and deceiving the people. The so-called Nation Alliance is the subject of this illusion and the effort to deceive the people.

AKP, on the other hand, has been deceiving the country for more than 20 years. Now it has the opportunity to continue to do so for a while longer in the parliament and with a possibility in the presidential office. Despite all the poverty, injustice and the devastation caused by the earthquake, large sections of the society voting for AKP and MHP do not want to go beyond the illusion created by the government.

In order for them to do so, interventions were needed to subvert their political and ideological preferences, which were actually quite shaken. The Nation Alliance, on the other hand, has built its entire strategy on preventing these interventions. Only the defence of secularism, anti-imperialism and questioning the deep inequality caused by the market economy would have mobilised the social base of the People’s Alliance.

Maybe this mobilisation would not have produced the desired result in the elections, but the current picture in Türkiye would have changed radically.

The Nation Alliance was formed to prevent this. The People’s Alliance and the Nation Alliance complement each other.

Both alliances, from their side, have served to create a state of illusion that includes a large part of the society, and Erdoğan has been the one who has taken a step forward here.

The Green Left Party (the Party under which HPD entered the elections) have been added to this picture with their ideological and political diversity and their influence among the Kurdish population. This organisation, which act and will continue to act according to the gaps and tensions within the bourgeois politics, are fed by the same illusion and have lost the chance to become an independent actor.

The TİP (Workers’ Party of Turkey, the party that split from TKP in 2014 and was elected to the parliament from HDP lists) on the other hand, has created another illusionary space by attracting those who are uncomfortable with the Nation Alliance’s resemblance to the AKP, but who want to achieve freedom and justice in an easy way and within the limits of this social order. This party, which responds to the effortless search of those who are disappointed with the right-wingisation of the CHP, will now be as “left” as the social segments it attracts allow it to be.

The Communist Party of Türkiye, on the other hand, has fallen into the illusion that it can increase its votes in an election campaign in which it uncompromisingly defends secularism, independence, statism, republicanism, socialism and emphasises advanced human values.

In order to increase our votes, we were supposed to do more without compromising our values, principles and stance.

We had not been able to do it.

Of course, we will not be part of that great deception because we could not. On 15 May, we said that we would continue our struggle. Our party does not measure itself only, or even mainly, by votes.

The Communist Party of Türkiye will do everything to ensure that the large segments deceived by the AKP are not left to their own devices. Türkiye’s economic and political realities will continue to disturb the “surreal world” that those who voted for Erdogan cling to.

The deep disappointment with the Nation Alliance’s or the alliance’s electoral performance is already being felt. It was our greatest fear that a large section of the anti-AKP population would become demoralised. TKP can only intervene in this demoralisation by explaining that the Nation Alliance is already doomed to disappointment and by strengthening people’s faith in their country.

The second round of the presidential election is ahead of us. Despair must be put aside and efforts must be made to make Erdoğan lose. TKP will carry out effective work in this direction. 

However, the real test will be given to the working people in Türkiye, the working class in the face of the intensifying attacks of capital. The real test will be to defend secularism in a political environment that is becoming more reactionary. The real test will be given in the struggle against NATO and international monopolies in the face of the government that intends to bring Türkiye into new bargains and adventures in the world behind the demagogy of anti-imperialism.

TKP has never been under any illusion on these topics. On the contrary, we are in a very realistic positioning.

We continue on our way with the same determination.

If our people did not see us as an election party, we will not be offended by this.

As we said, we are here on 15 May. For secularism, for the Republic, for socialism.

We are here.

All together…

TKP Central Committee