ISTANBUL: Jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan has called on the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) to remain neutral ahead of Sunday’s Istanbul election re-run. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party is struggling to win over Istanbul’s Kurdish voters.
The Kurdish group is a key constituency in the electoral battle for control of Istanbul. Erdogan at present has softened on his polarizing rhetoric in a bid to woo Kurdish voters.
Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party (AKP) has been targeting Kurdish voters in the hopes of securing victory in a re-run of a mayoral election in the city on Sunday. However, his efforts – which include adopting a more conciliatory stance than in the run up to the March election – are falling flat. Kurdish voters doubt about his party’s sincerity.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) won the mayoral vote in Istanbul on March 31. It was a stinging setback for the president and his party, which had long-controlled the city. (Agencies)
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