Demirtas: A consensus over democratic values is more important than finding a suitable joint candidate

Demirtas: A consensus over democratic values is more important than finding a suitable joint candidate
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Update: 27 July 2022 17:36
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The joint candidate is about finding the inclusive power that unites the fragmented and shattered society based upon the values of democracy, former co-chair of HDP said

Jailed Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas said that when designating a joint candidate against the ruling bloc in next year’s elections in Turkey, the opposition parties should prioritize a shared mentality rather than trying to find a suitable person. 

“‘What is a joint candidate?’ is a better question than ‘Who is the joint candidate?’” he said, in an article he wrote for Gazete Duvar website.

Demirtas then explained what he understood by the mentality of the joint candidate. 

“The joint candidate is not about finding another strongman. It is not about a single party, a single identity, a single belief, but the integration of all social segments and differences, the silhouette of 85 million people. It is about the inclusive power that unites the fragmented and shattered society based upon the values of democracy,” he said.

Demirtas said that the opposition should not only aim to win the presidential election by securing the necessary 50 percent plus one vote, but lead the society to prepare a fully democratic constitution.

HDP supports the joint candidate for this reason, not as a cheap bargain for narrow-minded political interests, Demirtas said. 

“We should aim to win democracy and social peace, along with the election. For this, we must achieve a great social consensus,” Demirtas said.