The leader of Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP) said on Monday that Huda Par (the Free Cause Party), which has its roots in an armed group, “is likely to turn useful” as it will serve as “a force in the field” during elections on 14 May.
Both YRP and Huda Par are part of the alliance led by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), alongside far right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Great Unity Party (BBP) and Kemalist nationalist Democratic Left Party (DSP). Huda Par candidates will run under AKP in the parliamentary elections.
Huda Par is the offshoot of the Hezbollah group (not related to the Lebanese Shi’a organization) that assisted state forces during 1990s in illegal operations to crush the democratic Kurdish opposition, and who is responsible for the murder of hundreds of people including Kurdish dissidents, rights defenders and journalists. The group also assassinated in 2001 police chief Gaffar Okkan and several police officers.
YRP leader Fatih Erbakan said in a live broadcast on government media TGRT:
“I think Mr. President wished Huda Par to take its place as a force in the field in the east and southeast. I believe he wished them to be a part of the alliance for the reason that they will guard over the ballot boxes and balance the scale against HDP [the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party] and the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] behind HDP. I believe they indeed could be useful in this regard.”
Huda Par official Mahmut Sahin, in charge of election activities, said earlier on 15 March:
“They [the opposition] are aware that we can spend a serious amount of effort to protect the ballot boxes on the day of elections and that we can take measures against negative developments.”
Source: Gerçek News
