People's Democratic Congress founded
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After the general elections of June 12 in Turkey, efforts to create a platform of oppositional forces broader than the "Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block" led to the official start of the Congress Initiative in August. Finally, the Turkey Congress took place successfully on October 15-16 in Ankara under the slogan "We are uniting!"{divide}
More than 800 delegates from 20 different regions gathered in the meeting hall decorated with the main slogan "We are uniting!" in 13 different languages and banners about the struggle fields of women, labour, youth, peace and ecology. Besides the delegates, the co-chairs of the DTK Aysel Tugluk and Ahmet Turk, the M.Ps Hasip Kaplan, Sebahat Tuncel, Sirri Sureyya Onder, Ertugrul Kurkcu, Nursel Aydogan, the presidents of SDP , EMEP , KESK , IHD as well as many intellectuals, artists and other guests were present at the meeting in Ankara.
The Turkish, Kurdish, Laz, Assyrian, Arabic, Armenian, Circassian, Georgian, Nusayri, Roma, Greek, Pomak, African and Yezidi delegates representing a large scale of progressive forces of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, were welcomed in their mother languages.
The two-day congress aiming at "uniting all oppositional sectors under one roof" discussed the draft statutes and programme of the initiative, details of their aims and areas of struggle and took a general decision of becoming a political party, giving the task to the Congress Assembly. The General Congress Assembly, the highest managing body, which will meet every 6 month and consists of 121 members, was elected at the congress. Moreover, it was decided to gather a People´s Reality Congress.
Concerning the programme, the delegates decided to leave the provisory draft like it is and renew it at the congress which will take place after 6 month.
Among 17 proposals, the name "People's Democratic Congress" ( HDK ) was elected by the delegates for the initiative, which claims to be the main opposition movement in Turkey and a real centre of resistance against the regime.
In the final statement it says: "In order to extinguish all kind of repression and injustice directed against our peoples, for the purpose of creating a Turkey in peace where we can live humanely, we, individuals as well as spokespersons and members of institutions, organisations, initiatives, associations, parties and movements against all kind of repression, exploitation and discrimination, who gathered following the call of the Congress Initiative, are announcing the foundation of the People's Democratic Congress in the consciousness that conditions matured for the common struggle in order to obtain that the people create its own rule, that our differences are enriching us and makes us strong."