Demirtas asks HDP to end 'holiday' and to avoid division
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — After about 45 days of silence former presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtas called on the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party to stay united and to take to the political arena instead of being on "holiday."
"Recently, we have seen some of our deputies from the HDP leaving [the party] and starting working in their own political tradition," Demirtas wrote to the pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency (ANF) on Friday, adding that "all deputies shall consider HDP as their original party ... no one shall feel they are guests in HDP."
Demirtas has been in jail since November 2016 for terror related charges. The former HDP co-chair has run for presidency twice but obtained less than 10 percent of votes in both polls.
Following the elections, most of Turkish opposition parties faced internal issues and were on the verge of internal division, including HDP which consists primarily of Kurds and Turks. Some Kurdish members of the party feel marginalized by current management.
Sezai Temelli is the Turkish co-chair of the party whose influence on the party is apparently more than the Kurdish co-chair Pervin Buldan .
Demirtas also advised Turkish opposition parties to strive for a "stronger opposition" not partition.
"Turkish opposition does not need a new party, but a stronger opposition. The HDP had the possibility to do this. It has a strong support from people and is the most important political force,” he said.
"Recently, we have seen some of our deputies from the HDP leaving [the party] and starting working in their own political tradition," Demirtas wrote to the pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency (ANF) on Friday, adding that "all deputies shall consider HDP as their original party ... no one shall feel they are guests in HDP."
Demirtas has been in jail since November 2016 for terror related charges. The former HDP co-chair has run for presidency twice but obtained less than 10 percent of votes in both polls.
Following the elections, most of Turkish opposition parties faced internal issues and were on the verge of internal division, including HDP which consists primarily of Kurds and Turks. Some Kurdish members of the party feel marginalized by current management.
Sezai Temelli is the Turkish co-chair of the party whose influence on the party is apparently more than the Kurdish co-chair Pervin Buldan .
Demirtas also advised Turkish opposition parties to strive for a "stronger opposition" not partition.
"Turkish opposition does not need a new party, but a stronger opposition. The HDP had the possibility to do this. It has a strong support from people and is the most important political force,” he said.