The pro-Kurdish HDP party and its allies will not run for president in elections in Turkey dated May 14, according to the statements of Pervin Buldan, who is one of the leaders of the party.

Speaking at a press conference, Buldan did not specify whether their alliance would support opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. and all this a few days after the meeting they had over the weekend. However, Kemal Kilicdaroglu condemned the “discrimination” of the Kurdish language in Turkey.

The HDP is the third largest party in Turkey’s parliament, with over 10% of the vote in the country, and its position plays a decisive role in the upcoming presidential elections.

In the 2018 presidential election, the HDP candidate received 8.4% of the vote.

The pro-Kurdish party and small left-wing parties, considered allies, remained on the margins of the opposition coalition, which includes six political factions.

Less than eight weeks before the presidential election, HDP’s statement is another blow to Erdogan’s candidacy and his hopes for re-election.

Ankara accuses the HDP of links with the PKK, and the party is threatened with a ban on its activities. It is noted that its leader Selahattin Demirtas has been imprisoned since the end of 2016.

According to Reuters, APE-MPE and AFP.