Professional-Kurdish get together chief Sancar says HDP would possibly again the opposition presidential candidate in the event that they agreed on ‘basic ideas’.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Social gathering (HDP) might help important opposition chief Kemal Kilicdaroglu on this yr’s presidential election after “clear, open talks”.

“Our clear expectation is a transition for a robust democracy. If we will agree on basic ideas, we might help him in presidential elections,” get together co-leader Mithat Sancar stated on Monday.

Social democrat Republican Individuals’s Social gathering (CHP) chief Kilicdaroglu emerged on Monday as the primary challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan forward of the elections, anticipated to happen on Could 14, after a six-party alliance picked him as its candidate.

Kilicdaroglu, 74, head of the nation’s second-biggest get together after Erdogan’s Justice and Improvement Social gathering (AK Social gathering), goals to take away the president from his seat after a two-decade reign.

The HDP, Turkey’s third-biggest get together with 11.7 p.c votes within the 2018 elections, is just not a part of the alliance.

Nonetheless, in 2019, its primarily Kurdish supporters helped the alliance – which it was a part of then – win mayoral elections in Istanbul, Ankara and different cities.

Sancar had known as on the opposition to unite on Saturday, a day after the alliance splintered over who ought to run for president earlier than reaching a consensus on Monday.

Polls recommend that Kilicdaroglu’s Nation Alliance will want HDP voters’ backing to unseat Erdogan and win a majority in parliament towards his AK Social gathering and its ultranationalist ally, the Nationalist Actions Social gathering (MHP).

For years, HDP has confronted an AK Social gathering authorities crackdown and doable ban over alleged ties to the Kurdistan Staff’ Social gathering (PKK), an armed Kurdish group, which it denies.

In January, its financial institution accounts had been frozen by a courtroom, slicing its monetary lifeline earlier than the upcoming election.

The PKK, designated a “terrorist group” by Ankara and its NATO allies, has fought the Turkish state in primarily Kurdish southeast Turkey since 1984 during which greater than 40,000 folks have been killed.