It is possible to win with revolutionary transformation

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SOL Party Spokesperson Önder İşleyen commented on current events on BirGün TV's live broadcast. İşleyen stated that the social resistance that began after March 19th has ushered in a new phase in the struggle against Turkey's current political regime. İşleyen stated that the path forged by the youth movement, overcoming the barricades, has emboldened all opposition and social segments, while the regime, through its trustee policies and oppressive mechanisms, is attempting to subjugate society.

ELECTIONS HAVE BECOME A SHOWCASE

İşleyen stated that elections in Türkiye are becoming increasingly meaningless and that democratic rights are being gradually eliminated, saying, “The AKP government is now using elections merely as a showpiece. It is trying to prolong its existence by dividing the opposition, manipulating elections, and usurping the will of the people through trustees. A true struggle for democracy in Türkiye today must extend beyond the ballot box.”

COUNTERREVOLUTIONARY PROCESS

İşleyen emphasized that the AKP government is gradually leading the country into a counter-revolutionary process as part of the Greater Middle East Project, and noted the following:

This regime change Türkiye is experiencing cannot be explained solely by the AKP's internal calculations. It is directly linked to imperialist projects. Turkey is at the center of the plan to redesign the Middle East. Therefore, this social resistance is not just a party issue; it is a struggle that determines the fate of the country and its people.

THE SOLUTION TO THE KURDISH PROBLEM COMES WITH DEMOCRACY

Touching on the Kurdish issue, İşleyen stated that a permanent solution would be possible through a radical democratization process:

"A democratic solution to the Kurdish issue is impossible under the AKP-MHP regime. Today, imperialist plans are trying to redesign Türkiye along ethnic and sectarian lines. It is necessary to end the regime through the joint struggle of the people, without falling into these traps." İşleyen stated that overcoming the crisis Türkiye is experiencing is impossible with superficial solutions and emphasized that deep-rooted democratization will be achieved through a revolutionary founding process: "Turkey can only be rebuilt with a revolutionary program led by workers, youth, and women. There is no way out of this regime without uniting the struggle for nature, the workers' struggle, democracy, and women's freedom."

YOUTH GAVE ITS OWN BIRTH

İşleyen stated that youth has emerged as the most dynamic and creative force during this period. Referring to the rally organized by SOL Genç after the youth camp in Akçay, Balıkesir, İşleyen stated: "No matter what the political Islamist regime and these American-backed right-wing governments did, the result was that Dev Genç, blossoming in resistance, emerged and showed its true self. In other words, it is expressing itself in new generations. This is the greatest proof of the invincibility of this society, this revolutionary movement, and Türkiye's progressive movement. It has emerged as the greatest force that enables us to look to the future with hope."

İşleyen said that the opposition must develop new forms of struggle that are not limited to elections:

Türkiye has a vast potential for struggle, from education to healthcare, from worker resistance to ecology. If this potential remains fragmented, the regime will prolong its life. What needs to be done is for all these struggles to coalesce into a unified social framework.

The highlights of İşleyen’s speeches are as follows: The ongoing attacks, the trustees, the operations targeting municipalities, the operations targeting different segments of the social opposition are actually designed to fade and destroy this hope of winning in society.

Because the AKP-MHP duo clearly sees this: They are now trying to maintain their position as a minority government. As we recall, their social support has diminished significantly in the various stages since the invalidation of unstamped ballots. One aspect of this is attempts to fragment the various wings of the opposition through various deceptions and neutralize them around the new constitutional scheme. Therefore, they are actually trying to gain ground not by relying on their own strength, but by weakening and neutralizing the opposition. But this plan is unlikely to succeed.

They can make various moves by inventing and finding Trojan horses and putting them forward, like what happened to the CHP, by creating chaos in the headquarters of political parties, but there is a very broad reaction in society.

How will the regime eliminate this? In other words, the AKP and MHP have no chance of convincing society with promises to improve economic and social life in Türkiye in the coming period.

Now everyone has begun to ascribe grandiose missions to Bahçeli. They've reached a point where they're practically beating up anyone who doesn't praise him. Is there any chance that Bahçeli and Erdoğan will find a democratic solution to Türkiye's problems and move Türkiye to a more democratic and liberal level? No.

Therefore, they have no chance of making a move that will move Türkiye forward, or even regain the consent of a certain segment of Turkish society. Therefore, what they are doing is increasing the level of pressure, creating disarray within the opposition, fragmenting it, and, in an election atmosphere created under those circumstances, once again declaring, "I'll take the horse, steal it, and pass Üsküdar."

In other words, the issue is a struggle for all of us to rid the country of this regime. Once this understanding is developed, once this understanding can generate and multiply the united struggles and actions of social initiatives, and once it can open up to the diverse demands of society, defeating this regime will not be difficult at all.

This will be the essence of the marches we, the Left Party, will hold across the country in September. These marches will highlight the importance of a united struggle against the regime and remind all of society that they can be defeated. As long as we continue to maintain, develop, and expand this united, resolute line of resistance.

There is a need for recognition

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel's perception that the struggle must extend beyond its own borders, expressed as a kind of democratic political front, and his pursuit of this understanding are important. However, this needs to be expanded. Perhaps what we should be expressing is how much the current line of development, the line of struggle, must now be taken to the next level and a step forward. Therefore, the opposition needs a diversity of actions and movements, a breadth of policies that, in addition to opposing the attacks, extend to the social problems created by this regime, establish new lines of struggle, new lines of action, and, in fact, provide society with foundational signals for Türkiye's future.

WE HAVE ALWAYS STOOD BY THE KURDISH PEOPLE

Parallel to all this is the ongoing peace process. As the Left Party, we have stated very clearly that Turkey has gone through a massive wave of violence and conflict that has inflicted irreparable wounds on society. While this has also contributed to the growth of nationalist fascist movements throughout the country, it has also contributed to the development of the right wing. We have said, "The fact that today, in one way or another, the disarmament is being laid down and the wave of violence will end is a positive development."

THERE IS A SITUATION THAT GOES BEYOND THE DEM PARTY

But the current process isn't just about disarmament as a solution to the Kurdish issue. Of course, the DEM Party and I meet and discuss these processes from time to time. We used to evaluate these processes together before. In fact, they're openly stating this publicly. There's something even beyond the DEM Party. What's being constructed today is America's plan in the Middle East. We can't discuss it by setting this aside. Within the framework of Israel's attacks over the past year, after Assad's fall, America launched a new offensive to encircle Iran, and this has emerged as the new order of the Greater Middle East Project.

What they call the Turkish-Kurdish-Arab alliance is the transformation of Türkiye that Erdogan and, to a different extent, Bahceli have been talking about around the Presidency, and what Tom Barrack has openly expressed as a "return to the Ottoman system of nations."

We cannot evaluate these developments independently of the regime's plan to take things to the next level. The crisis in Syria is now heading toward what Barrack calls "not a full federation, but a partial federation," and they will eventually be forced to do so. Because the real issue is that the AKP is using this as an opportunity, in other words, trying to gain power from it to stay in power.

COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY PROCESS

What we call the completion of the counter-revolutionary process is a century-long transformation, with its pluses and minuses, that has transformed all of Islamist fascism step by step. Turkey is being dragged towards a rupture that will destroy the last progressive, democratic fragments within the Republic, declaring its end, and, in their words, "closing the Republic's parentheses." That's why we always try to emphasize that what's happening today isn't about the Left Party, the CHP, or individuals.

As everyone who stands for democracy, peace, and fraternity in Türkiye, for the class struggle, for the interests of the working class, and for a country where the oppressed in Türkiye—Turks, Kurds, Alevis, and Sunnis—can live together in brotherhood and freedom, we must unite to put an end to this. This can take various forms. Organizations can be formed around social initiatives. United struggles can be developed through action.

The struggle will determine the future of the country

There's a need for a grand front politics where everyone can stand together and fight against the reactionism, fascism, and imperialism that oppose the AKP-MHP government. We, and all other movements, must act with that responsibility. Finally, there's a social resistance struggle against this minority government, a struggle that rises above it, driven by youth, women, and broad social segments. This struggle will determine the country's future.