Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party endorses Erdogan’s challenger

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s pro-Kurdish political alliance on Friday announced their support for opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu who is running to unseat incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next month’s critical election.

“We would like to announce to the public our support of Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the upcoming presidential elections that will be held on May 14, 2023,” read a statement from the Labour and Freedom Alliance, which includes the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

They framed their support for Kilicdaroglu as fulfilling their historical duty and because they owe it to future generations, while urging people to also vote for their candidates in the parliamentary election because changing the president is not enough for “victory against fascism.”

The unexpected announcement came hours after HDP co-chair Mithat Sancar told opposition news outlet Sozcu that their alliance will support Kilicdaroglu in the election because their goals coincide when it comes to toppling Erdogan.

Kilicdaroglu is the biggest challenger to face Erdogan who has been in power for two decades and oversaw transferring power from the parliament to the presidency.

Sancar said Erdogan’s rule has brought Turkey to the brink of collapse with inflation hitting record highs.

“Our goal is for the elections to end in the first round,” Sancar said.

HDP is considered kingmaker with their support predicted to be the deciding factor in the race for the presidency.

On March 20, Kilicdaroglu met with HDP co-chairs inside the building of the Turkish parliament to discuss possible cooperation in the elections. The chosen venue sent a message that the parliament is the go-to address to reach democratic solutions for Turkey’s problems, including the Kurdish question.

Two days later, the Labour and Freedom alliance declared they will not put forward a candidate for the presidency, in a tacit endorsement of Kilicdaroglu’s campaign.

HDP is running in the parliamentary elections under the umbrella of the new Green Left Party that was founded because HDP is facing the threat of closure in an on-going case at the Turkish constitutional court over terror charges.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Tuesday that the Green Left Party was founded on instructions from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish organization struggling for greater rights for Kurds but named a terrorist group in Turkey.

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