"It's either full democracy or absolute tyranny"
Imprisoned Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas criticized the opposition's failure to establish a broad alliance for democracy in Turkey, and addressed opposition party leaders assuring them that he will "soon meet with each one of them, inside or outside the prison."
A series of tweets by Demirtas, the former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), were posted on Monday.
He said:
"We have been struggling for the last three years for the establishment of an alliance for democracy. Everybody, including the opposition, did their best not to have it. In the process, the people established a democracy alliance of their own as they have been impoverished; the political parties unfortunately could not."
He continued:
"Now we have four months left for the elections, and while we insist on a joint candidate the parties still do everything possible to avoid it. What sort of a mental lapse is it? I'm calling on all leaders, we will get together soon. In prison or outside!"
He added:
"Fortunately, this election will be won not by politicians but by the people. It's either full democracy or absolute tyranny. Just count on your own power, believe in it, and keep on working with vigor for four months. We will definitely win."
While a bloc of six opposition parties has refrained from having any dialogue with HDP, apparently in fear of alienating a voter base who has been persuaded by state officials and government media that HDP has links to "terrorists" and that it is engaged in treasonous activities, HDP officials recently announced that they will nominate their own presidential candidate.
HDP received 11.7% of the popular vote in the 2018 parliamentary election, and most of the polls say that the alliance of six opposition parties is not likely to win the presidency without HDP's support.
Demirtas has been incarcerated in Turkey's Edirne prison since November 2016 and he has been denied release despite a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.
