Turkey
CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu standing between HDP co-chairs Pervin Buldan (left) and Mithat Sancar (right) inside the Turkish Parliament on 20 March 2023. Photo: HDP Media
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu said that it was vital for Kurdish-related issues to be resolved inside the parliament, following a meeting with Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) co-chairs on Monday.
Kilicdaroglu and HDP co-chairs, Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, met in the Turkish parliament to discuss possible cooperation in the upcoming Turkish elections in May.
In a press briefing that followed the meeting, Buldan and Sancar said that the parliament had been chosen as the location for their meeting in order to convey the message that the “parliament is the go-to address to reach a democratic solution for the Kurdish question”.
“The main reason for the existence of the Turkish parliament is to solve the problems”, said Kilicdaroglu, stressing the importance of holding discussions to resolve pending issues among parliamentarians elected by the people. “We trust the common sense of our people and we are ready to solve every issue with the parliamentarians they have elected, and we will solve them,” he added.
Kilicdaroglu also called out the Turkish government for having double standards when it comes to the Kurdish language and that by restricting its use would exclude Kurds.
“This is a ploy played by the Imperial forces and we will save Turkey from it. We will not antagonize anyone. We will not exclude anyone.
Everyone’s identity, belief lifestyle must be respected,” he said, urging the media to stop polarizing the people.
Regarding the HDP’s stance on supporting Kilicdaroglu, Sancar said that they would have to discuss with their allies and that their decision would be revealed in the coming days.
“We will discuss and assess the context and topics of this meeting with our councils and partners in the [Labour and Freedom] alliance, and we will release a statement to the public regarding the meeting soon, within a few days”, said Sancar.
Kilicdaroglu is set to enter the Turkish presidential elections to compete against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 14. Kilicdaroglu takes on Erdogan at a time when Erdogan’s popularity is at its lowest, according to the poll centers.
Erdogan is the presidential candidate of the People’s Alliance between his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its far-right ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which has the majority of the current term of parliament.
Kilicdaroglu is the leader of Turkey’s greatest opposition party and the candidate of the “Nation Alliance” (formerly known as the table of 6).
Nation Alliance aims at turning the table over Erdogan for the first time in 20 years, restoring the parliamentary system, and ending the one-man presidency system. The 2017 referendum for constitutional change had given the president sweeping power.
The pro-Kurdish HDP is seen by many as the kingmakers in the upcoming elections. Although they have not joined either alliance, they have shown a willingness to make deals with Kilicdaroglu.
By Azhi Rasul
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