Click to read the article in Turkish
The Kurdish Freedom and Democracy Alliance announced that its member parties will support the candidate of the Nation's Alliance and the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in the presidential elections.
According to Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the alliance's statement titled "We will give our vote to Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu for change and normalization" says the following:
"This election is a turning point in many ways. Turkey will either rapidly slide towards a current authoritarian, arbitrary, one-man regime, or it will enter a process towards change, normalization, and democracy. Our side will be in favor of change, normalization, and democracy.
Last week, the Labor and Freedom Alliance, an election alliance of the Green Left Party (YSP) and other left-wing parties, announced that it would support Kılıçdaroğlu.
The Kurdish alliance will not run in the election and throw its support behind the YSP in the parliamentary election.
"It is crucial for Turkey to be free from this arbitrary, authoritarian, and anti-Kurdish understanding. The elections to be held on May 14 are an opportunity to get rid of the current oppressive and monstrous regime," the statement furter said.
"We will give our vote to presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu for Turkey to enter a process towards change, normalization, and democracy. We find Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu's promise to solve the Kurdish issue in parliament important."
'The Kurdish issue will be solved with joint struggle'
"We know that Kılıçdaroğlu alone cannot solve Turkey's fundamental issues such as the Kurdish issue and that he does not have a clear and explicit program in this regard.
"The Kurdish issue will be solved with the joint struggle of the national democratic forces of the Kurdish people and the democratic forces of Turkey.
"A democracy based on fundamental and universal norms can only be built when two peoples join hands.
"Today, the main and urgent issue is whether the current oppressive chauvinistic administration will continue or not. Either the current regime will consume our peoples' energy and lead Turkey to an even darker collapse, or Turkey will go through a normal process where institutions operate, and arbitrariness ends."
Who is in the alliance?
The Kurdish Freedom and Democracy Alliance, which decided to support the Green Left Party in the parliamentary elections, consists of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Kurdistan Communist Party (KKP), People and Freedom Party (PİA), Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK), Revolutionary Democratic Kurdish Association (DDKD), and the Azadi Party, along with HDP and the Green Left Party. (NT/VK)