Turkey opposition candidate visits jailed Kurdish leader

pulse

May 9, 2018 6:43 PM

The candidate of Turkeys main opposition in presidential polls visited Wednesday the jailed ex-leader of the pro-Kurdish party, in a symbolic move aimed warming ties between rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Republican People's Party (CHP) presidential candidate Muharrem Ince met with the Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) charismatic former leader Selahattin Demirtas, who is also standing for the presidency in the June 24 elections, the HDP said.

The meeting took place at the prison in the Edirne region of northwest Turkey where Demirtas is being held.

The HDP named Demirtas as its presidential candidate even though he is currently behind bars and standing trial in several cases on charges including links to a terror group.

Turkish media reports said the visit took place under tight security, with Ince walking into the prison without making any statement.

The CHP sees itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular and national traditions and has not always had easy relations with the HDP. The visit marked the first time a senior CHP figure had met Demirtas in prison.

Demirtas hailed the visit as "important and meaningful," in a written message published by the HDP after the talks.

"Mr Ince's visit is an example of humanitarian solidarity showing a political courtesy rather than a political message to our voters," Demirtas said.

Demirtas said the visit highlighted "injustices" engulfing both his party -- several of whose MPs are in jail for alleged links to Kurdish militants -- and also the country which is currently ruled under state of emergency laws since the 2016 failed coup.

"Me and my fellow colleagues are being held as political hostages but unfortunately the outside is not much different from a semi open-prison," he said.

But he hoped despite the "unfair race" -- where all the state's resources would be mobilised for Erdogan -- the elections would open the way for democracy, freedom and peace.

The visit is part of Ince's drive to meet with all presidential candidates ahead of the elections. He already met with Iyi (Good) Party leader Meral Aksener and Felicity Party leader Temel Karamollaoglu.

Ince said he would meet with Erdogan later on Wednesday at the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) headquarters in Ankara, in another unusual encounter given the fractious relationship between the two parties.

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