​HDP and CHP’s election promises corner AKP

TURKEY - In Brief 23 Apr 2015 by Atilla Yesilada

---

It is encouraging to see that Turkish media is paying greater attention to parties' election manifestos to judge their fitness for power; it is to be hoped that the electorate would do the same. We have already covered AKP’s 400 plus page behemoth which we deemed lacking excitement and rather selfish that it focuses too much on an executive presidency that is mostly for the benefit of Mr. Erdogan. During the week first CHP, then pro-Kurdish HDP unveiled their election manifestos, both of which were full of extravagant populist promises and a new world of equality and high democratic standards. To the extent these visions can be pitched credibly at the campaign trail, AKP may have a serious disadvantage. HDP promises federalism and an equalitarian society HDP’s election manifesto would make any European socialist party proud. The party has come a long way from its Kurdish rights-only roots, weaving these masterfully in delicately worded phrases among the text (perhaps a template for the upcoming Constitution) to create a new vision for an equalitarian society. The party offers a 50% raise to the statutory minimum wage, free electricity and water as well as a TL200 stipend to all citizens between the ages of 15-25, but we don’t pay much attention to these because the dimmer the prospect of reaching power the more extravagant a party’s promises tend to be. What struck us as noteworthy was the emphasis on HDP’s previous wow not to subscribe to the presidential system under any circumstances. HDP also demands federalism, devolution of power to local authorities, but there is no sign of an amnesty for Ocalan or PKK, which is probably an emollient for the Western votes. At th...