HDP to support most democratic, pro-Kurdish presidential candidate
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Pervin Buldan, co-leader of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), said to party supporters that they would support “the most democratic candidate…who will object to the oppression of the Kurdish people,” in the upcoming May 14 presidential elections. Buldan made the remarks at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, Medya News reports.
The HDP is the third-largest opposition party and has joined neither the governing coalition nor the National Alliance, the main opposition coalition. It has thus been called the ‘kingmaker’ in the upcoming presidential elections.
Following a meeting with Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the National Alliance’s candidate, the HDP announced it would not participate in the presidential elections. However, it has yet to announce its support for Kilicdaroglu. “When we come out into the streets and start our rallies, we will tell you which presidential candidate you should vote for,” Buldan said on Sunday.
The latest polls suggest Kilicdaroglu is ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by a narrow margin. However, neither candidates command more than 50% of the vote, meaning they would compete in head-to-head runoff on June 18.
The HDP will field its own candidates for the parliamentary elections, also held on May 14. Last month, the HDP announced they would compete under the banner of the Green Left party, as a Turkish court may close the HDP before the elections.
On Sunday, Buldan said the HDP would nominate the highest number of female candidates of any Turkish party. “We want to enter into the parliament in the strongest way possible,” she added.