Opposition bloc’s joint presidential candidate to be announced on Feb.13

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said the Six-Party bloc will announce its joint presidential candidate on Feb.13.

The name of the joint candidate will be determined by the leaders of the six political parties that form the opposition bloc, Kilicdaroglu said during a live broadcast by the Halk TV on Sunday.

"Each party naturally wants to see its leader as a presidential candidate. CHP members also want to see their leader as a presidential candidate. But the main thing here is that the six leaders to make a joint decision," he said.

Turkey’s six opposition parties who teamed up to restore a parliamentary system in Turkey, are also working on to put forward a joint candidate to run against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential race, which is most likely to be held on May 14.

The opposition bloc includes the main opposition CHP, nationalist Good Party (IYIP), the Islamist Felicity Party (SP), the Democrat Party (DP), former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s Future Party (GP) and ex-Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan’s Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA).

Also commenting on pro-Kurdish HDP’s closure case, Kilicdaroglu said CHP is against any party’s closure.

“It is directly the people who will decide whether a party comes to power or not,” he said.

“Democracy should not only exist for us, for those who think like us, but also for those who think differently than us. The more different opinions combined, the greater the prestige of the Parliament. That's how more qualified laws come out," CHP leader said.

Kilicdaroglu added that HDP’s former co-chair Selahattin Demirtas was unfairly imprisoned.

He also called on HDP to work together for the presidential elections.

"If they want democracy, if they say, 'Let's get this done in the first round,' those who are in favor of democracy should act together," Kilicdaroglu said.