In the second round of elections on 1 November called by the President upon the parliament's failure in establishing a coalition government in due time, Kürkçü kept his seat and the HDP preserved its place as the third biggest party in the parliament but lost 2,5 percent of votes and 21 seats after a tense election campaign marred by violent attacks against the HDP premises and outdoor activities what caused the lives of at least 150 party members and affiliates.

[1] Kürkçü[2] was among 51 HDP deputies whose parliamentary immunities were lifted through a controversial temporary constitutional amendment which was sharply criticized by the Venice Commission, the legal advisory body of the Council of Europe.

[4][5] Kürkçü is under ongoing legal prosecution for more than 16 separate charges for the speeches he made outside the parliament and for the popular protests he joined during his 7 years of deputyship.

Ertuğrul Kürkçü, upon the proposal of the Unified European Left Group (UEL) in the PACE, was awarded with a "Honorary Membership" in October 2018.

In October 1970, then the head of the Socialists Association of the Middle East Technical University (METU), he was elected as the President of the Turkish Revolutionary Youth Federation (DEV-GENÇ).

In 1972, Kürkçü joined the armed resistance against the military takeover and took part in an operation designed by Mahir Çayan to kidnap three NATO technicians based in the Black Sea district of Ünye for bargaining for the release off death row of Deniz Gezmiş and other activists who were condemned to death under the 1971 Turkish military memorandum.

Having entered the parliament Kürkçü resigned from his position of project coordinator of Bianet - one of the vanguards of Turkey's online journalism to which he contributed also with his news and articles.