Four Kurdish parties support HDP’s Demirtaş

Azadi Movement, PAK, PDK and PSK signed a ‘Kurdistan Election Alliance’.

Azadi Movement, PAK, PDK and PSK have signed a ‘Kurdistan Election Alliance’ calling on people to vote for "national democratic consciousness and sensitivity” in the 24 June elections.

The Kurdistan Election Alliance has called to make an effort to ensure an alliance which will cover large sections, and called on voters to not give their vote for the presidential candidates of the President and the National Alliance in the first round.

The Kurdistan Election Alliance said Erdogan and his party are returning to the old state politics and noted that Kurdish fundamental rights were seen as a threat to the “permanent government”.

The statement said that “for two years, the AK Party hasn’t said a single word about the rights and freedoms in context of the Kurdish issue. Instead, it carried out a political language that boasted military operations and death”.

The alliance also pointed out to the insulting discourses and politics towards South Kurdistan, and reminded that the occupation attacks against Afrin also carried a political language that "boasted the number of deaths”.

According to the statement, “the discourse of the AK Party today and the calling of a snap election show that the ongoing dangerous politics will continue”.

It is for this reason, the statement added that “we are urging our people to not vote for the presidency of Erdogan, who is the continuator of the official politics built on denial and assimilation [of Kurds’ existence]”.

The statement, asking people to vote for HDP presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtaş, continued: “This choice will allow to strengthen the Kurds' grip on the second round of the presidential elections and to ensure that Kurds play a key role".

The statement ended by saying: “Despite all the mistakes and shortcomings we will give our votes to Selahattin Demirtaş, who is a victim, in the presidential election. (...)

Despite all the mistakes and deficiencies he has been the only candidate who claimed his Kurdish identity, so once again we will still give our votes to Selahattin Demirtaş, who is a victim, in the presidential election.

In the June 24 parliamentary elections, we believe that members and supporters will use their votes with the consciousness of being Kurdish, Kurds. With this understanding we are giving freedom to our members and supporters in the election of deputies.

When the second round of the presidential election happens, we will try to ensure a common stance of the broadest sectors to ask candidates a commitment to ensure the most basic national democratic demands of the Kurdish people, freedom, democracy and justice”.