Open door from HEDEP to both AKP and CHP! Will they field a candidate in Istanbul?

There is less than 4 months left until the local elections. While alliance discussions continue on the opposition front, the AKP aims to regain the metropolitan municipalities it lost in 2019, primarily Istanbul and Ankara.

One of the most curious topics regarding the March 31 Local Elections is what stance HEDEP will take in Istanbul.

Speaking to BBC Turkish, Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP) Istanbul Provincial Co-Chair Murat Kalmaz stated that it is not yet clear whether they will field a candidate in the city for the local elections, but that support for an alliance remains a possibility.

Stating that they will "focus on their gains" in this election in line with the criticisms coming from their base, Kalmaz said that their doors are open to both the AKP and the CHP for negotiations.

"OUR PEOPLE HAVE DEMANDS"

Stating that they held comprehensive meetings with their base across the country following the elections in May, Kalmaz noted that they received serious criticism regarding their stance in the 2019 and 2023 elections.

Saying that they determined a "new roadmap for the next election within party boards following the criticism and self-criticism process," Kalmaz said, “In the previous election, we did not make any demands because of the situation that developed in the West centered on causing others to lose. But this time, our people have demands. Our people say, ‘I am not in an alliance or an election where I do not achieve gains.’”

ALLIANCE IN ISTANBUL IS A POSSIBILITY

Stating that they want to determine their candidates across Turkey through primary elections "in line with the views conveyed in the meetings held," Kalmaz noted that "they will primarily adopt a third-way line that will remain outside the two major alliances, but that there could be alliances in some cities, and that while not yet certain, this is a possibility in Istanbul as well."

However, stating that the situation in 2019 will not be repeated and that they will focus on gains this time, Kalmaz added the following regarding their potential demands:

“For example, I am speaking hypothetically, we might say to district A that we will enter here with our own candidate. For example, it could be Esenyurt, it could be the Adalar, or other places. We might say let us enter with our own candidate, you support us here, and we will support you there. In the remaining places where we could potentially win together, our potential is this much, and in return for this, for example, there could be deputy mayoral positions, council memberships, or directorates.”

Kalmaz expressed that they are in the position of a key party in Istanbul with these words:

“Ekrem İmamoğlu is aware of this; he knows very well that he cannot win without us. The AK Party is also very aware that it lost because we followed a policy of causing them to lose. The point of being a key party comes from here. HEDEP has such a reality in Istanbul. The moment we say we are not standing by and supporting anyone, we will not take part in any alliance, we are just fielding our own candidate, the situation there could turn into a completely different point.”