Erdogan's Political Fate May Be Determined by Turkey's Kurds
The Turkish government's crackdown on the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has emerged as a kingmaker in the country's upcoming election, playing a decisive role that may tip the balance enough to unseat two-decade ruler Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The HDP announced last month that it would not put forward its own presidential candidate, a move analysts say allows its supporters to vote for Erdogan's main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. This decision is seen as a carefully crafted political discourse by the party's deputy co-chair, Hisyar Ozsoy, who stated that they will not field a presidential candidate and will leave it to the international community to interpret their move.
The HDP's influence in the elections may be key to Erdogan's fate, but the party faces accusations of ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and affiliated groups. Despite these allegations, the HDP is seen as having a significant impact on Turkish politics.
Erdogan's government has been cracking down on the HDP since it began chipping away at his voter base. The former leader of the party, Selahattin Demirtas, has been in prison for nearly seven years, and the party faces possible closure by a court for suspected collusion with the PKK.
The HDP's decision not to field a candidate allows its supporters to vote for Kilicdaroglu, who represents the six-party Nation Alliance opposition bloc. Analysts say that the HDP is the kingmaker in the elections, and its position is crucial to the outcome of next month's vote.
However, the HDP knows that its position is delicate, and it is running under a different party's name due to the court case against it. The party wants to avoid a "contaminated political climate" where the elections are polarized between an ultra-nationalist discourse against Kilicdaroglu and others.
The HDP was founded in 2012 with a number of aims, one of which was "peaceful and democratic resolution of the Kurdish conflict." Its former leader Demirtas remains an influential figure, but the Turkish government has been trying to link the HDP to the PKK without success.
A post-Erdogan Turkey may give some breathing space to the Kurds and Kurdish-dominated parties in Turkey, according to analysts. The decision by China and Brazil to reportedly ditch the US dollar as an intermediary in trade is seen as a significant development, but its impact on Erdogan's fate remains uncertain.
The Turkish government's crackdown on the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has emerged as a kingmaker in the country's upcoming election, playing a decisive role that may tip the balance enough to unseat two-decade ruler Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The HDP announced last month that it would not put forward its own presidential candidate, a move analysts say allows its supporters to vote for Erdogan's main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. This decision is seen as a carefully crafted political discourse by the party's deputy co-chair, Hisyar Ozsoy, who stated that they will not field a presidential candidate and will leave it to the international community to interpret their move.
The HDP's influence in the elections may be key to Erdogan's fate, but the party faces accusations of ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and affiliated groups. Despite these allegations, the HDP is seen as having a significant impact on Turkish politics.
Erdogan's government has been cracking down on the HDP since it began chipping away at his voter base. The former leader of the party, Selahattin Demirtas, has been in prison for nearly seven years, and the party faces possible closure by a court for suspected collusion with the PKK.
The HDP's decision not to field a candidate allows its supporters to vote for Kilicdaroglu, who represents the six-party Nation Alliance opposition bloc. Analysts say that the HDP is the kingmaker in the elections, and its position is crucial to the outcome of next month's vote.
However, the HDP knows that its position is delicate, and it is running under a different party's name due to the court case against it. The party wants to avoid a "contaminated political climate" where the elections are polarized between an ultra-nationalist discourse against Kilicdaroglu and others.
The HDP was founded in 2012 with a number of aims, one of which was "peaceful and democratic resolution of the Kurdish conflict." Its former leader Demirtas remains an influential figure, but the Turkish government has been trying to link the HDP to the PKK without success.
A post-Erdogan Turkey may give some breathing space to the Kurds and Kurdish-dominated parties in Turkey, according to analysts. The decision by China and Brazil to reportedly ditch the US dollar as an intermediary in trade is seen as a significant development, but its impact on Erdogan's fate remains uncertain.
. If the HDP's supporters vote for Kilicdaroglu, that could be enough to take down two-decade ruler Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The thing is, the pro-Kurdish party has been under so much pressure from the Turkish government, and now they're not even fielding a presidential candidate 
. It's a tricky situation - their supporters are basically being asked to vote for someone else just because of it. And let's be real, there are allegations about ties to the PKK that don't help their case 
. But at the same time, if they don't put forward a candidate, they risk losing influence in the elections. It's like Erdogan is playing a very high-stakes game, and the HDP is either going to tip the scales or get left behind 
.
... time will tell if it's a blessing or curse for Turkey 
. They were all like "we're gonna be friends with everyone!" but it was just a ruse to get more votes.
. I mean, what if post-Erdogan Turkey means more freedom and democracy for the Kurds? Wouldn't that be something? 
it's crazy how erdogan's been cracking down on them since he became president 2001 lol i remember reading about selahattin demirtas online and thinking he was so cool 
his profile picture still looks pretty good tbh 
anyway idk what will happen in the elections but i hope it's not too polarizing 
. And what's with all this paranoia about the HDP having ties to the PKK? It's just another example of how Turkey loves to demonize its minority groups 
.
i mean, they gotta put pressure on him to get his government to do something about the Kurdish conflict. and btw, is Kemal Kilicdaroglu even that fire yet? 
still got his work cut out for him if he wants to take down Erdogan
let's hope this means Erdogan is going down 
but at the same time, i feel bad for the HDP cuz they're literally running under threat of closure and prison time