“We Can Support a Candidate with Similar Mentality on Round 2”

Republican People’s Party (CHP) visited People’s Democratic Party (HDP) regarding the upcoming presidential election in August in Turkey.

The meeting of CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, and HDP Co-leaders Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Sebahat Tuncel and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş took approximately half an hour.

After the closed-door meeting, Kürkçü stated that HDP will nominate its own candidate, but they can support CHP in the second round, depending CHP’s candidate. 

Kürkçü declared as below:

“Together with BDP, we discussed that we will nominate our own candidate in the first round of presidential election, however in case CHP would nominate a candidate whose mentality is similar to us and who would adhere to similar ethical standards, we would have a choice in the second round.   It’s not obvious in advance that who would else proceed to the second round.  Either we or CHP can proceed.  We clearly stated that in either case, we would like to support a candidate who would believe in equality of people in terms of identity, equal citizenship notion, fraternity of people, participatory democracy, human rights, international and domestic peace, and thus who would administrate the government and its institutions accordingly, endeavor from the first moment in order to issue a libertarian, democratic constitution and consequently who would guarantee women’s rights and a life in a world in which the oppressed ones would be no more oppressed,” he said.   

Kılıçdaroğlu stated as below;

“HDP previously expressed that they will nominate their own candidate.  Thus, we rather thought whether we can nominate a candidate based on a wide social compromise.  After all, we would pull our weight and show same awareness concerning the determination of a president candidate who is aware of the democratization of Turkey, development of democracy, gender equality, and the social issues. The president should lead by example; by her/his speech, attitude and delicacy. These are also our basic criteria,” he said. (ÇT/CB/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.