Demirtas says legal status prevents him from running for presidency, will support HDP’s candidate

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) had a meeting with imprisoned Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas concerning his candidacy in the upcoming elections during which Demirtas said his legal troubles do not allow him to run, the party announced on its web site on Friday.

“Demirtas thanked the delegation and said that his legal status was not suitable for candidacy, and emphasized that he would support the HDP’s efforts” to find a suitable candidate, the statement said.

The HDP recently announced it will participate in elections with a candidate to be determined in line with the Labor and Freedom and Alliance (EOI), third big alliance of Turkey formed by six leftist opposition parties including the HDP.

The party statement said Demirtas vowed to stand behind the name that will emerge as the candidate of the EOI, and he said he is determined to continue the election campaign and work with the party in the most efficient way.

The former Co-Chair of HDP ran against President Erdogan twice, the second being in 2018 from behind bars, where he is still being detained. He has been convicted on some counts since the last election, making him ineligible to run again.

The EOI convened on Tuesday for talks on the elections, the election process and the ballot box security, and said in a statement that it still did not completely close the doors to “direct dialogue and open negotiations” to act together with the main opposition Nation Alliance.