Veteran Kurdish politician says HDP will likely be closed before elections

Photo: Sertaç Kayar

Click to read the article in Turkish

Ahmet Türk, a prominent Kurdish politician, has talked about the next year's elections, alliances and the importance of the Kurdish voters in an interview with the Independent Turkish.

Even if the opposition won the election, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would not be willing to leave office, he said. "I have serious doubts that Erdoğan will accept this and hand over his position in a democratic manner. He will try everything he can to remain in power."

"We are faced with a mentality that would not hesitate to drag the public into an environment of chaos and conflict by resorting to any kind of political cheating, tactics, maneuvers and illegal ways," he asserted.

Türk also predicted that the closure case against the HDP for its alleged ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) will probably end in the party's closure.

"My observation is that they will likely close the HDP. The composition and attitudes of the judges indicate this," he said.

CLICK - HDP will be a key player 'even if it is closed, says co-leader

Türk was elected the mayor of Mardin in the 2019 local election but was later replaced by the government with a "trustee" because of a "terrorism" investigation against him. He was acquitted of the charges cited for his dismissal but has not been reinstated. 

Türk also criticized the opposition for its silence against the repression of the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). He said he recently had breakfast with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and conveyed his criticism.

"I asked him, 'Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu, why are you staying away from the HDP and the Kurds? He did not show his true colors and did not say anything," he said.

CLICK - Opposition worried Erdoğan may resort to violence; Erdoğan supporters fear vengeance if he goes

Presidential candidates

Türk also commented on the two possible presidential candidates of the opposition, İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş.

About İmamoğlu, he said, "He is good. But there was a big difference between his speech addressing the people in Diyarbakır after being elected the mayor and his recent speech in Rize."

Türk said he doesn't think the Kurds would vote for Yavaş, apparently because of his hardline nationalist background.

Opinion polls suggest that İmamoğlu and Yavaş are the most likely opposition candidates to defeat Erdoğan in the presidential election. In any case, the opposition candidate will need the support of the HDP voters in order to get more than 50 percent of the votes, according to polls.

"It is clear that the Nation's Alliance can't win the election without the Kurds," said Türk. "This dynamic is necessary not only to go to the ballot box but also to actively contribute to every aspect of life after the current ruling power."

CLICK - Poll: Erdoğan loses to the right candidate; Kurds, HDP are key to the election

(RT/VK)