After a lengthy deliberation, the Green Left Party (YSP), informally known as the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), a successor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), announced its candidate, or rather candidates, for the upcoming municipal election in Istanbul.
The party, associated with the terrorist group PKK, weighed alliance with other opposition parties for the March 31 polls where mayors for 81 provinces and their districts will be elected. But its talks apparently collapsed.
Meral Danış Beştaş, a lawmaker and Murat Çepni, a former deputy chair of the HDP, were named as candidates for Istanbul, in the party’s tradition, which also declared two candidates, one man and one woman each for 56 other provinces for the sake of gender equality.
Announcing the candidates, party’s spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan said they did not “make a gesture to any party” or “closed the door for others,” referring to a debate whether their move to field their own candidates will play into the hands of ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and diminish the chances of the opposition, which drew support from the HDP in the 2019 elections.
The wife of HDP’s jailed former leader has dropped out of the mayoral race for Istanbul as opposition parties hold last-minute bargains ahead of the high-stakes elections next month.
Başak Demirtaş, spouse of HDP co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, last Wednesday announced she had withdrawn her name from the candidate pool of the YSP. “At this stage, the party and I have reached a consensus that my declaration to run for Istanbul mayor not become a formal application,” Demirtaş said in a written statement. In a move that surprised even YSP executives, Demirtaş last month revealed she was “prepared to take on responsibility for Istanbul” if the party agreed to it.
After weeks of uncertainty, the YSP last week confirmed it would nominate its own candidate for Istanbul, along with Ankara and other cities, effectively dealing a blow to the alliance hopes of the CHP.
