Başak Demirtaş announces she will not be a candidate for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

Başak Demirtaş, the wife of former HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, has announced that she will not be a candidate for mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM).

Demirtaş had stated in a declaration on January 21, "We have not yet received a proposal from our party, the DEM Party, for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality candidacy, but if the people want it and our party deems it appropriate, and if we believe it will pave the way for democracy and social peace, we could consider it."

The DEM Party had accepted this statement by Başak Demirtaş as an 'official application'.

Although the party most recently announced on February 4 that it would field candidates in the Istanbul elections, February 9 had been indicated for the names.

JOINT DECISION WITH THE DEM PARTY

In her written statement, Demirtaş said the following:

"At the current stage, we have reached a mutual consensus with our party that my declaration of candidacy for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will not turn into an application. All our people and party members should know that all decisions have been taken in full harmony and coordination with our party.

The candidates our party will announce in the coming days will be the candidates of us all, and we will stand behind these valuable friends with all our strength and work for the success of our party."

STATEMENT FROM THE DEM PARTY

Following Demirtaş's statement, the DEM Party issued a written statement.

The party announced that it would disclose its Istanbul candidates in the coming days.

The statement made by the party is as follows:

"Our party has decided to appear before the public with its own candidates in every part of Turkey where a 'city consensus' could not be achieved within the scope of local election efforts, and has shared this with the public.

Naturally, the most discussed place among all electoral districts is the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. In this context, our party has also handled Istanbul specifically, and comprehensive discussions have been held in our authorized bodies.

The presence and declaration of will of all our valuable friends whose names were mentioned as potential candidates for Istanbul have given strength and morale to our party and our base. Among these names, the name of our dear fellow traveler, Başak Demirtaş, has come to the fore the most in public opinion. The support our comrade Başak Demirtaş has given to our party regarding the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality candidacy has undoubtedly added great strength to us.

We have been in consultation from the beginning of the process with Başak Hanım, who further strengthened us by supporting our party's election policies with her declaration of will regarding the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality candidacy. At the current stage, our authorized bodies have evaluated the developments by putting all options on the table, and by coming together with Başak Hanım, it has been decided in full harmony and coordination that she will not be a candidate.

Our candidate names for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will be shared with the public in the coming days.

We thank dear Başak Demirtaş for her contributions with all our confidence, and we know that she will continue to provide support in the next part of the process.

We specifically request that no statement occurring outside of our party's official statements regarding the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality candidacy be given credence and that no ground be provided for any speculation. Without compromising on the struggle for democracy, we will continue to walk shoulder to shoulder with all our comrades in prisons and in exile."

News Source: 12punto