Turkish leftist YSP confirms support to Kilicdaroglu against Erdogan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 May 21:44

Turkey's Green Left Party says support will continue despite Kilicdaroglu's new alliance with the right-wing Victory Party.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, speaks during a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Bursa, Turkey, May 11, 2023 (Reuters)

Turkey's Green Left Party YSP renewed its support for the opposition's Nation Alliance candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, spokespersons of the YSP said on Thursday.

The statement comes after Kilicdaroglu announced earlier today that he has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the head of the right-wing Victory Party Umit Ozdag.

The agreement defies the Victory Party's former presidential candidate Sinan Ogan, who backed Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The regime created by [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan is not an option for us. Our mere objective is to change this regime,” said Pervin Buldan, the co-leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party HDP, in a joint press conference with YSP's spokespersons in Turkey's capital Ankara.

Due to accusations by the Constitutional Court of its ties with the Kurdish PKK, HDP is running under the name of the YSP.

The protocol signed by the two party leaders, Kilicdaroglu and Ozdag, stipulates that the latter will back Kilicdaroglu's presidential run, however, it also included clauses that concerned the YSP and HDP.

The protocol also included a clause stating that mayors with confirmed ties to terrorist organizations, such as the PKK which is labeled as a terrorist group in Turkey, will be sacked from their position and will be replaced by a trustee.

“We have made our criticism against this article quite clear. We want to emphasize once again: Those who seize the political will of the Kurds do in fact take hold of the rights and freedoms of all the peoples of Türkiye,” Buldan said.

Commenting on an article that suggests sending back all immigrants in Turkey to their home countries in just one year, she said that "using the issue of refugees or migrants for political gains is wrong and inhumane.”

But regardless of all objections, Buldan reiterated that her party "will go to vote in full” to Kilicdaroglu in the May 28 runoff.

Erdogan received little over 49.5% of the vote in the first round ahead of Kilicdaroglu at 44.5%.

The topic of Syrian refugees has been highly debated within Turkish politics, and its importance was highlighted in this year's presidential election campaigns, especially that of opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaruglo who said that if he emerges victorious, he intends to "say goodbye" to the refugees within two years.

On the other hand, Erdogan's government has mobilized on diplomatic levels to expand relations with Syria under Russian- and Iranian-mediated talks.