ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) could consider supporting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bid for another term if he promises constitutional reforms guaranteeing Kurdish rights, a party lawmaker told Rudaw on Saturday.
Cengiz Candar, a DEM Party lawmaker representing Diyarbakir (Amed in Kurdish), told Rudaw's Rawin Sterk that changes to Articles 42 and 66 of Turkey's constitution, which concern mother-tongue education and citizenship, would be particularly important in determining whether the party could support Erdogan's electoral ambitions. He said the issue was "intertwined" with electoral calculations.
"If President Erdogan finds that he needs the support of the DEM Party for the elections, this will be a decisive point. If Erdogan needs the votes of Kurds for the elections, the importance of the DEM Party will increase," Candar said.
The remarks come as Turkey's peace process with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) enters a new phase following legislation to facilitate the group's disarmament, while Erdogan's political future remains subject to constitutional restrictions on presidential terms. The Turkish president has advocated drafting a new constitution, an issue that could bring the government and the DEM Party into negotiations over long-standing Kurdish demands.
Article 42 of Turkey's constitution prohibits languages other than Turkish from being taught to Turkish citizens as their mother tongue in educational institutions, while Article 66 defines everyone bound to the Turkish state through citizenship as a Turk. Kurdish political parties have long sought amendments to both articles to secure recognition of Kurdish identity and mother-tongue education.
"If Erdogan makes such a promise, then the situation can be considered," Candar said, referring to amendments addressing citizenship and mother-tongue education.
Erdogan, who has served as president since 2014, won elections in 2018 and 2023 under Turkey's executive presidential system, established following a 2017 constitutional referendum.
The constitution limits presidents to two terms but allows a president serving a second term to run again if parliament votes to call early elections. Such a decision requires the support of at least 360 members of the 600-seat legislature. Constitutional amendments are another possible route to changing the rules governing presidential eligibility.
In May 2025, Erdogan renewed his call for a new constitution, announcing that he had tasked ten legal experts with preparing proposals. He also praised the DEM Party for adopting what he described as a "responsible tone" on the issue, while saying the constitutional initiative was not intended to secure his own political future.
Candar's remarks come nearly two years after the latest peace initiative began in October 2024, following an overture by Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of Erdogan.
The process has since seen significant developments. In February 2025, imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the group to disarm and dissolve. The PKK declared an end to its armed campaign in May that year.
In August, Turkey's parliament passed legislation establishing a framework for the reintegration of PKK members, including provisions for suspending certain prosecutions and sentences once Turkish authorities verify the group's dissolution and disarmament.
On Thursday, the PKK announced that it had withdrawn all its remaining fighters from Turkey and abandoned four tunnels and positions near the Turkish border, urging Ankara to take further steps to advance the process.
Despite the developments, Candar said distrust of the Turkish government remains widespread among Kurds, citing previous disappointments and the lack of concrete measures addressing their political demands.
"All Kurdish people support this process. There is a desire for peace to be achieved, for the process to succeed and conclude successfully. But when you ask whether trust will exist, that is where people hesitate," he said.
The lawmaker identified the continued imprisonment of prominent Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas and the failure to reinstate elected Kurdish mayors removed from office as significant obstacles to rebuilding trust.
Demirtas, a former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has been imprisoned since 2016. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has called for his immediate release, but he remains behind bars.
"Until Selahattin Demirtas returns to society as a free individual, doubts will remain over whether the process will be brought to a positive conclusion by the state," Candar said.
He also stressed the importance of defining Ocalan's role in coordinating the next stage of the peace process, including the return and political reintegration of former PKK members.
Candar said Ocalan was expected to assume a coordinating role in a peace and political integration subcommittee, arguing that his direct involvement would be essential to implementing the new legislation.
"For this law to take effect and be implemented within the six-month period, Abdullah Ocalan himself must step in," he said.
