Kurdish tribal leader diverts support from AKP to CHP

Kurdish tribal leader diverts support from AKP to CHP
March 29, 2023, 1:16 pm

Both the main opposition CHP and the nationalist Good Party are engaged in efforts to build up support in Kurdish-majority provinces dominated by the pro-Kurdish HDP or ruling AKP.

A Kurdish tribal leader in Turkey's southeastern province of Van diverted his earlier support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to the opposition as he recently applied to be a parliamentary candidate for the Republican People's Party (CHP).

Iskender Ertus, the leader of the Serefan tribe that is part of the Ertoshi tribes, had joined CHP in mid January.

He had expressed support in the course of the 2018 elections for AKP, and the leaders of the tribe had previously backed the center right True Path Party (DYP), then the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) that evolved into the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in 2012.

The leaders of the Serefan tribe are believed to have a notable influence on thousands of families in the region.

CHP leadership is engaged in efforts to build up support in Kurdish-majority provinces that are politically dominated by HDP and AKP.

CHP had received only 2.6% of the votes in Van in 2018, and 1.9& in 2015. In the neighboring Hakkari and Sirnak, it had received respectively 3.5% and 2.7% in 2018, and 1.6% and 1.5 in 2015.

In a similar move, the leader of nationalist opposition Good Party had visited the leader of Kurdish Bucak tribe in an apparent effort to win his support back in mid September.

Sedat Bucak and his private army of armed guards were part of the state's operations to combat Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK) and crush the Kurdish opposition during the 1990s. He survived the 1996 Susurluk car crash which led to the "Susurluk scandal" over links between the police, politicians, mafia and Grey Wolves.

Green Left Party aims to get 20% vote in upcoming elections

The Green Left Party aims to win 20% of the vote and defeat the AKP-MHP government in the upcoming elections, said Ayse Erdem, a member of the party's Central Executive Committee. The party's campaign slogan will be "We will defeat fascism."

The Green Left Party has set a target to gain 20% of the vote and defeat the ruling government, according to Ayse Erdem, a member of the party's central executive committee.

The Green Left Party is the sister party of the pro-Kurdish HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) under which HDP will compete because of the risk posed by a possible court ban on the party before the elections.

Speaking to the press, Erdem highlighted the party's mission to build a strong organizational structure and create a parliamentary system that will pave the way for a democratic republic. She also emphasized the importance of engaging with voters on a grassroots level, stating that the party would be conducting outreach activities in streets and neighborhoods.

Erdem went on to stress that the party aims to play a crucial role not only before but also after the election. The party plans to collaborate with the Nation Alliance to work towards a new democratic constitution that will bring an end to the current government.

However, she also underlined that the party has the power to change the government on its own, and thus, it can be a key player in the upcoming election.

When asked about the party's election slogan, Erdem revealed that it would be "We will defeat fascism." The slogan is set to be unveiled along with the party's election manifesto on March 30.

BY: gerceknews

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