Support for the pro-Kurdish HDP party is dividing the Turkish opposition

Embarrassment among the nationalists of the motley coalition of the Turkish opposition has been caused by the invitation of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) for talks on supporting the joint candidate against President Tayyip Erdogan in the May elections. It is noted that the electoral support of the Kurds is important, as it could greatly influence the election result.

THE Mithat Sanjar, one of the HDP leaders, of third largest party in the Turkish parliamentaccording to the Athens Agency, issued the invitation last night after the six-party opposition bloc announced that the Kemal Kilicdaroglu will be his common candidate.

Two officials of the opposition alliance told Reuters that there are fears that such talks with the HDP could undermine support among nationalist voters opposed to its pro-Kurdish stance.

The Constitutional Court is considering an appeal against the HDP over its alleged links to Kurdish rebels, which the pro-Kurdish party denies, and is under threat of a ban.

The HDP is playing the role of moderator in the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections and it is very likely that the opposition alliance will need his support to end Erdogan’s twenty-year rule.

Bringing together social democrats, nationalists, secularists and Islamists, the opposition alliance put aside political and ideological differences to support common candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP).

At the same time, Mithat Sanjar extended an invitation to the bloc for talks that could pave the way for the HDP to back Kilicdaroglu. “Our goal is democracy, justice, freedom. Basically, we want to talk about principles,” he told the Haberturk network.

An opposition alliance official told Reuters that Sanchar’s invitation comes “a bit prematurely”, adding that the issue of HDP support will be the opposition’s biggest problem.

“Openly supporting the HDP will cause negative reactions, mainly from the IYI Party and its base,” he said referring to the nationalist party which is the second largest opposition alliance. “The HDP’s support is extremely important,” he noted, adding that it could undermine someone else’s support.

Another official from another coalition party said public support for the HDP would cut the IYI’s share by five percentage points and the CHP’s by 2 to 3 percentage points. Some polls give the opposition alliance the lead over the coalition of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party and the nationalist MHP, but by a short margin. The HDP gets 10% of the vote.

“Delicate Balance”

In his speech yesterday, Kemal Kilicdaroglu made no mention of the HDP and stated that the remaining five parties will help seal the electoral victory. “A very delicate balance has to be struck here. Otherwise, there will be a price”, the second party official said. “Votes coming from the HDP may equal those lost to the alliance.”

As part of his election campaign, Erdogan is expected to play the card of HDP’s claims of relations with Kurdish rebels and the role of the pro-Kurdish party in the opposition, according to analysts.

Although the timing of the Constitutional Court’s decision is not known, the HDP’s request to postpone the decision until after the elections has been rejected. The Constitutional Court has already frozen the party’s accounts.

The second official of the opposition alliance said that some Kurdish voters will not support the alliance because of IYI’s participation.

Sanjar stated that HDP played a key role in creating political balances in Turkey and this should be admitted openly and not behind closed doors. He added that no progress has been made since the presentation of his political platform in September.

Previously, the HDP had hinted it would present its own candidate if there were no talks, but Sanjar said the party was reconsidering its stance after the February 6 earthquake.