Mustafa Balbay, who is standing again for the CHP in Izmir
Opposition MP who spent four years in prison calls on Turkish expatriates not to opt for the pro-Kurdish HDP
By Michael Daventry
A Turkish opposition MP who spent most of the last parliament behind bars was in London to campaign ahead of next month’s general election.
Mustafa Balbay spent more than four years in prison as he waited to be tried on charges of attempting to topple the Turkish government.
He was elected as a member of parliament for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) while still in prison but was only able to take his oath of office after the Constitutional Court ruled his detention was illegal in late 2013 and ordered his release.
He paid a visit to Londra Gazete’s offices on Friday as part of a single-day trip to Britain, where he hopes to rally support for the CHP before thousands of Turkish expatriates vote next weekend.
TURKEY’S FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS
Many Turkish passport holders have said they will vote for the pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party (HDP), a centre-left rival, in order to help the party win seats in parliament. Under the Turkish system, parties that receive less than 10% of the vote are unable to win any seats.
But Mr Balbay said that although HDP parliamentary representation was an important issue, it was not equal to the fundamental problems that needed to be solved in Turkey.
“We are actually entering an election where there are three vote thresholds. The [governing] AKP does not want to fall below 40%, while the CHP wants to move above 30% and the HDP above 10%,” he said.
Mustafa Balbay examining a copy of Londra Gazete
He claimed voters were deserting the AK Party in significant numbers: “There are voters who are withdrawing from the AKP. Those of Kurdish origin will cross over to the HDP, but we believe a portion of the centre-right will move to us.
“We do not find the HDP’s approach of negotiating with the AKP but asking for votes from the CHP’s base to be correct. The matter of the HDP crossing the threshold is not one and the same as the Kurdish problem.”
Speaking of his own detention, Mr Balbay said he carried no desire for revenge, adding: “I am telling my story only so that what I experienced does not happen again.”
IMAGINE QUEEN ELIZABETH VOTED
Mustafa Balbay, who is standing for the CHP in the western town of Izmir, called on Turkish passport holders in the UK to consider the political situation in Turkey.
He said: “Democracy has really gone off the rails in Turkey. Imagine Queen Elizabeth voting for a party in Britain and for putting the entire resources of the monarchy behind that one party.
“The president of Turkey is doing precisely the same thing.”
Turkey’s general election will be held on 7 June. Expatriates living in the UK can vote on Saturday 30 May and Sunday 31 May in London and Edinburgh.