Erdoğan: There is a Power Struggle Between Demirtaş and Öcalan

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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has commented on the state-run Anadolu Agency's (AA) report that claimed the imprisoned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) called the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) to stay neutral in the June 23 İstanbul mayoral election rerun.

He claimed that there is a power struggle between the HDP and the PKK, and between Demirtaş and Öcalan.

Demirtaş, who is also behind bars, as well as the party's co-chairs Pervin Buldan and Sezai Temelli, called their supporters to vote for Ekrem İmamoğlu, the candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

Claiming that Öcalan believes he is betrayed by Demirtaş, Erdoğan said, "Because of this betrayal, [Öcalan] has a certain attitude towards them."

"In the statement he made in this period, he says something along the lines of 'If you support me, if you are a party that stands behind me, you should be neutral rather than siding with any of them.'

"One wing of the PKK supports the CHP candidate. What does the other wing say? It says 'the third way'."

The decision of the HDP supporters will be important on June 23 in what is expected to be a close contest between İmamoğlu and his AKP rival Binali Yıldırım.

Imamoğlu won the canceled March 31 elections, where he also got support from the HDP, by a margin of less than 14 thousand votes. (EKN/VK)