The leader of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party vowed Sunday to pursue the faltering push for peace between Ankara and Kurdish rebels after again winning enough votes to sit in parliament.
The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) scored just over 10 percent of the vote with almost all ballots counted, although the figure was down on the 13 percent it won in June.
The result five months ago was a historic breakthrough for the HDP as it became the first party representing the country's biggest minority to secure seats in the Turkish parliament.
"We will not back down on our stance for the need for a new constitution and for the peace process," HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas said.
The poll was held after a resurgence of violence between the Turkish state and rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and a string of attacks blamed on the Islamic State group which targeted pro-Kurdish activists.
"This wasn't a fair election, we could not campaign because we had to protect our people from a massacre," Demirtas said at a press conference in Ankara.
The unrest force the HDP to cancel much of its campaigning, including major party rallies.
"But it's still a big victory, we have lost one million votes but we have stood tall against this policy of massacre and fascism," he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the HDP of being a political front for the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies, but Demirtas denies the claims.
Demirtas said the HDP would fight all "pressure" from Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), which regained its parliamentary majority in the poll.
"We are here for the bright future of this country and we will continue to stand together against those who threaten our values and freedom," he said.
The leader of Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party vowed Sunday to pursue the faltering push for peace between Ankara and Kurdish rebels after again winning enough votes to sit in parliament.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) scored just over 10 percent of the vote with almost all ballots counted, although the figure was down on the 13 percent it won in June.
The result five months ago was a historic breakthrough for the HDP as it became the first party representing the country’s biggest minority to secure seats in the Turkish parliament.
“We will not back down on our stance for the need for a new constitution and for the peace process,” HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas said.
The poll was held after a resurgence of violence between the Turkish state and rebels from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a string of attacks blamed on the Islamic State group which targeted pro-Kurdish activists.
“This wasn’t a fair election, we could not campaign because we had to protect our people from a massacre,” Demirtas said at a press conference in Ankara.
The unrest force the HDP to cancel much of its campaigning, including major party rallies.
“But it’s still a big victory, we have lost one million votes but we have stood tall against this policy of massacre and fascism,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the HDP of being a political front for the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies, but Demirtas denies the claims.
Demirtas said the HDP would fight all “pressure” from Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), which regained its parliamentary majority in the poll.
“We are here for the bright future of this country and we will continue to stand together against those who threaten our values and freedom,” he said.
