DEM Party official addresses İstanbul mayoral candidacy talks by Başak Demirtaş
In a press conference at the Parliament, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Deputy Group Chair of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), offered insights on the discussions surrounding Başak Demirtaş, the wife of imprisoned former HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş, and her potential candidacy for İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Kılıç-Koçyiğit clarified, "There seems to be a misunderstanding. Başak's statement serves as an official application for us. We don't need an extra application. She hasn't submitted a formal application in terms of paperwork, but her statement is sufficient for us. We have accepted it, and there's no problem for us."
Regarding the ongoing work of the candidate selection committee, Kılıç-Koçyiğit stated that announcements for candidates would be made soon. Referring to the upcoming MYK meeting on February 3rd, she highlighted that candidates for major cities would be discussed during the session. The party hasn't yet decided whether to nominate a candidate or not.
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"Başak is a prospective candidate; if I directly call her a candidate, it would violate the rules. The question is about whether she submitted paperwork for candidacy. Her public statement is sufficient for us as an application; no additional paperwork is required. Başak Hanım is one of the strongest potential candidate nominees for us."
Başak Demirtaş expressed her intention to be the DEM Party's candidate for Istanbul in the municipal elections on March 31st after visiting Selahattin Demirtaş in prison last week. (RT/VK)