The Kurdish nationalists of the HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) have shown their support for the CHP party leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, after the coalition of 6 opposition parties chose him yesterday as the candidate who will face Erdoğan in the presidential elections, which Erdoğan himself confirmed last night will be held on May 14. In a televised interview broadcast last night, HDP co-chair Mithat Sancar announced that his party will not nominate a candidate for the presidential elections, but is willing to support Kılıçdaroğlu’s candidacy if he visits the HDP headquarters to discuss the issue.
An alliance with the HDP (which is not part of the coalition) could however be risky for Kılıçdaroğlu; he will probably need the votes of the HDP, which is the third most voted party in Turkey and has particular strength in the Kurdish-majority southeast of Turkey, a region where the HDP rivals with Erdoğan’s AKP in voters and where none of the 6 opposition coalition parties have a significant presence; many Kurdish voters look favorably on the figure of Kılıçdaroğlu because of his Alevi faith, which is also followed by a majority of Kurds. However, a majority of voters in Turkey still view the HDP as the political branch of the PKK terrorist group, so a direct approach by Kılıçdaroğlu could cause a “punishment vote” in the electorate in favor of Erdoğan.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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