Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party is struggling to win over I...
ISTANBUL - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party is struggling to win over Istanbul’s Kurdish voters, a group it considers a key constituency in the electoral battle for control of Istanbul, despite softening its polarizing rhetoric.
A loss on June 23 for AKP’s mayoral candidate Binali Yildirim, who was hand-picked by Erdogan, would serve as a further embarrassment for the president after March’s defeat. It would also deal a symbolic blow to his power as Turkey battles recession, jockeys in war-torn Syria, and balances its U.S. and Russian ties.
In March’s mayoral race, HDP supporters tended to vote for the main opposition, the secularist, centre-left CHP, while many conservative Kurdish voters stayed home, pollsters say. “Kurds will have a big impact on the result of this election,” said a source close to AKP. “Of course, if we can secure a contribution from the Kurds, if there is a rise in their votes, it will make a seriously positive contribution.”
The lifting of the years-long ban on lawyers visiting Ocalan was seen as an overture towards the Kurds. AKP has also brought some Kurdish community leaders from the southeast to build support in small gatherings, according to people close to the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party .
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